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KE SAW THE CAPTAIN HOVERING, NOT FAR AWAY. 

(Page 100.) 


YOUNG OTTAWAYS 


OR 

MAROONED ON A 5AND-KEY IN THE 
CARIBBEAN 

BY 

8t. George Ratbborne 

’I 

AUTHOR OF 

“down the amazon,” “adrift on a junk/’ 
“young voyagers of the NILE,” ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 

BY 

fDa TRocftwell 


AKRON, OHIO 

THE SaairiELD publishing CO. 

NEW YORK 1905 CHICAGO 



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Copyright, 1905^ 

BY 

THE SAAEFIEED PUBLISHING COMPANY 



Made by 

Robert Smith Printing Co., 
Lansing, Mich. 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

He saw the captain hovering, not far away . Frontispiece 
He had the satisfaction of dragging a prize from the sea 48 
"‘Glory! It’s the Loon!” 150 

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It was a shark 


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CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER, pack. 

I. Two of a Kind 7 

II. The Last of the Old Nancy 18 

III. Marooned for a Certainty 30 

IV. Drawing Rations from the Sea 41 

V. A Storm and a Sail 52 

VI. Wrecked on a Lee Shore 63 

VII. The Piratical Antonio 74 

VIII. Da Gama, the Sponger 86 

IX. Modern Buccaneers of the Caribbean .... 97 

X. Digging Up the Treasure 109 

XI. “Good-by” and “How-d’ye-do” 121 

XII, The Indestructible “Loon” 133 

XIII. A Gift of the Storm 145 

XIV. Good-by to Dickens’ Island 156 

XV. Voyagers of the Caribbean 167 

XVI. Captain Bravo’s Little Joke 178 

XVII. Afloat and Ashore 190 

XVIII. On Guard 201 

XIX. Well Won 213 

XX. Maro Meets the Skipper Again 225 

XXL How They Sailed from San Juan 239 

XXH. Camping and Cruising in Florida 249 


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1 





CHAPTER L 


TWO OF A KIND. 

As the sun of a November day crept over the 
watery horizon of the old Atlantic, somewhere 
off the coast of Florida, his first rays fell upon 
a strange object that rose and dipped with the 
heaving bosom of the vasty deep. As far as the 
eye could reach there was no sign of land, 
nothing to break the dull monotony of sea and 
sky. 

This floating object, now on the crest of a 
billow and anon sliding down into a valley, had 
the appearance of a wreck on a diminutive scale. 
In fact, it proved to be the remains of what 
had once been a staunch single-hand cruiser, 
such as bold young Corinthians delight to trust 


8 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


their fortunes to while enjoying trips along the 
protected waters of the Atlantic seaboard. The 
mast had been carried away bodily by the sav- 
age gusts of wind that had swooped down upon 
the luckless adventurer, and apparently the only 
thing that kept the craft from disappearing 
under the surface was the fact that several air- 
tight, galvanized chambers had been built into 
the hull of the little cruiser. 

Such a diminutive vessel could never have 
been constructed for outside work, and her pres- 
ence on the treacherous Atlantic must therefore 
be the result of an accident. At any rate the 
crew of the mosquito craft had not been washed 
overboard when the mast and sail were carried 
away, for crouched aft could be seen a drenched 
and forlorn figure, that raised upon hands and 
knees, when the boat crested a billow, searched 
eagerly for some sign of a friendly sail, or a 
glimpse of land to leeward. 

The castaway appeared to be a lad of some 
sixteen or seventeen summers, though well pro- 
portioned for his age, and with the rugged 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 


9 


bronze of health on his face that could only 
come from an outdoor life. 

Though naturally anxious concerning his con- 
dition he was not now alarmed as when the 
storm was at its height, with the cruel waves 
dashing over the waterlogged craft and seeking 
to tear him loose from the ropes with which he 
had secured his person tb a thwart. 

‘‘Twenty hours of this sort of thing has 
knocked all the fun out of it for me, and I’d 
give considerable to set eyes on a sail, even if 
only some sponger of the sand-keys. Boat a 
wreck, provisions soaked, and the whole blessed 
expedition gone to the dogs. Ugh! I never 
want to repeat that experience again. Fifty 
times I thought my time had surely come, yet 
here I am with what is left of the outfit, drifting 
goodness knows where, and as hungry as a 
hawk. Wonder if I could lay hands on a snack, 
no matter what shape it’s in. Well, here goes 
for a try, anyhow. ’ ’ Evidently the forlorn cast- 
away thought to put an artificial courage in his 
heart by thus communing with himself, after 


10 YOUNG CASTAWAYS 

the manner of many persons exposed to a men- 
acing peril. 

He believed in action, for at once he began 
a systematic method of fishing down into the 
submerged portion of the hoat^s interior, drag- 
ging various articles into view, until finally an 
exclamation of satisfaction announced that he 
had ‘^struck oiP^ in some fashion. It proved to 
he a small chest, about fifteen by thirty inches, 
and when he had whipped the lid open, eight 
tin cans, each with a capacious screw-top, were 
revealed. Evidently this was the ‘ ^ gruh-chesU ’ 
of the expedition. He eagerly seized upon a can 
which he appeared to know from long familiar- 
ity, whipped off the lid and inserting his hand, 
drew out some hard-tack, or ship-biscuit, to- 
gether with a hit of cheese. 

He fell to like one half-starved, and pres- 
ently, feeling a-thirst, picked up the water 
can lying between his feet, to indulge in a swig 
from its brackish contents, the liquid having 
been secured at some rude spring along the 
Georgia coast. And possibly Teddy McGregor 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 11 


had never better enjoyed a good meal in all his 
yonng life, since it is appetite that usually regu- 
lates these things for us. And he was truly 
hungry after his long battle with the savage sea. 

By the time he had finished, the waves had 
very sensibly diminished in volume, a fact he 
noted with immense satisfaction, since it was 
difficult work, resisting their coaxing invitation 
to leave his perch and yield to their embrace. 
The little boat no longer carried on like a crazy 
thing, and it was even possible for an agile chap 
to stand erect in order to take a better survey 
than had as yet fallen to his lot, though the sen- 
sation reminded him of trying to ride a bareback 
horse in a circus, an experience that had once 
fallen to his fortune. 

As he turned with a sigh of bitter disappoint- 
ment, to spend a last moment in a perfunctory 
survey of the quarter from whence his line of 
drift had proceeded, he gave utterance to an 
exclamation of surprise and delight; for now 
that the scud had ceased to fly through the air 


12 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


lie could distinctly see a vessel of some sort 
bearing down upon him. 

A second look caused his feeling of delight 
to quickly subside, for it was plain to be seen 
that the craft thus approaching could be no 
less than a derelict, since one of her rails did not 
much more than clear the waters ^ edge, and what 
sails were bent on her masts had been torn into 
ribbons by the wolfish winds. 

Teddy was gifted with a happy nature that 
could see great possibilities in what might ap- 
pear a disappointment to others; and conse- 
quently he began to figure how sensibly his 
chances would be increased by a change of base, 
leaving the diminutive wreck for the one that 
possessed greater bulk. He even fished an oar 
out of the flooded interior and began to scull his 
clumsy craft after the fashion of one who knew 
how to get the best results from such a proceed- 
ing, his design being to place himself more sure- 
ly in the way of the derelict than chance had 
chosen to do for him. 

The other vessel, catching so much more of 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 13 


the early morning wind, was drifting at the rate 
of two knots to his one, so that it must have left 
him in the lurch but for the means of propulsion 
resorted to. And it may he set down as certain 
that he strained his eyes good and hard as the 
rival wrecks approached each other, in the en- 
deavor to find out whether the schooner had 
any living soul aboard. 

To his intense disappointment he was forced 
to believe that it had been wholly abandoned by 
the crew, when the water gained so fast that it 
appeared as if the vessel must sink at any mo- 
ment. He had quite a tussle at the end, in order 
to accomplish the object in view; hut the result 
was satisfactory, since he found a dangling rope 
to which he could fasten the painter of his craft ; 
after which he swarmed aboard in approved 
piratical style. 

The slanting deck of the schooner was a sad 
spectacle of wreck and ruin, though the young 
fellow felt relieved not to discover any signs of 
drowned men about. 

He was curious to discover what sort of a 


14 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


bonanza he had happened upon, and immedi- 
ately started below, to find in the cabin just the 
same confusion as on deck, with the water fiood- 
ing the fioor to the depth of a foot or more, and 
almost filling some of the adjoining closet-like 
rooms. While he was prowling in the cook’s 
galley, discovering an abundance of edibles, 
such as they were, he heard a sound that had a 
different ring from the groaning and squeak- 
ing of the ancient ship ’s timbers. 

This startled him. After all he might not be 
the only living thing aboard ; so he began a hot 
hunt high and low, though without success until 
it occurred to him that he had a voice and should 
utilize the same. Surely that was an answering 
hail, indistinct though it seemed. 

‘‘Help! come below and let me out! In the 
cabin ! Help ! ’ ’ 

Teddy felt a thrill. It was not alone that he 
realized he had a companion in exile, but the 
strange fact of this unknown party being fast- 
ened in one of the several dingy staterooms con- 
nected with the cabin. He had looked in some 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 15 


while prosecuting his search, but had doubtless 
skipped the very one that had an occupant. 

He now hastened back, calling reassuringly 
as he went, for the cries had that of human 
agony in them. 

It was easy to locate the door, but being 
stoutly made it resisted his attempts to open, 
even as it had long done with respect to the 
party fastened, with no chance of even climbing 
out through a window, such was the absurdly 
small size of the bullseyes lighting the cubby- 
holes dignified with the name of staterooms. 
Seeing an ax near by, Teddy seized it with 
eagerness. Then, warning the prisoner to 
stand back, he proceeded to make kindling wood 
of the door in approved style. 

When an opening had been made sufficiently 
large to admit the passage of an ordinary man, 
he was vastly surprised and pleased to see a lad 
of about his own age creep through the gap. A 
little pale around the gills he was after a night 
penned in such a trap, with a constant fear lest 
the water creep up above the bullseye, and cause 


16 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


his death from suffocation, not to mention the 
chances for a sudden plunge of the craft to the 
bottom. 

His first act was to clutch hold of Teddy 
and wring his hand as though it had been a 
pump. ‘^Gee, I tell you I’m glad to see you, 
old fellow ! Help me up on deck where I can get 
some air. I’m nearly dead for a good gulp, and 
some water. What’s this, a tin pannikin full? 
Gracious, how delicious it tastes with that salty 
crust in one’s mouth ! You didn’t come any too 
soon, I’m telling you, for the old trap feels as 
if she was ready to take a last plunge mighty 
quick. The crew deserted while the storm was 
at its worst, and I’m thinking few of them could 
have lived through it; hut they surely thought 
the Nancy Lee was wallowing her last. 

‘^Of course you wonder how they came to 
leave me behind, and fastened in a cubbyhole 
at that; but I’ll tell you the whole story all in 
good time. It was the captain who did it, and 
he meant that I should never come hack to New 
England again. Now, show me your vessel, my 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 17 


preserver, and let’s get aboard as quick as we 
can, for fear that this water-logged schooner 
sink nnder ns.” 

Teddy scratched his head and looked grave. 
Then with a smile he led the other to the stern 
and, pointing to the pitiful little remnant of his 
cruiser, remarked pathetically : 

guess you’d better change your mind and 
stay here.” 


CHAPTER II. 

THE LAST OF THE OLD NANCY. 

When the full significance of the situation 
broke upon the mind of the deserted schooner ^s 
lone passenger, he looked queerly at Teddy, and 
finally burst out into a laugh that had something 
of mirth in it, despite the gravity of their 
trouble, for after all he was only a boy, and 
disasters may easily assume a comical phase 
with youth. 

^‘Well, I declare, if you werenT worse off 
than I was hanging to this old wreck. And is 
its possible that you were sailing in that little 
dingey so far from shore? IVe always consid- 
ered myself somewhat of a venturesome chap, 
but I^d think a long time before taking such 
risks, he said, his hand laid effusively on 
the arm of the other, for whom a sudden and 
18 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 19 

natural affection had sprung up in his boyish 
heart. 

It was a case of two kindred souls again ; of 
David and Jonathan being brought together by 
stress of circumstances. 

‘‘Oh, you give me too much credit. You see, 
I never dreamed of venturing outside, but was 
blown through one of the inlets of the sound 
where I had been cruising, being on my way to 
Florida by the inside water route,’’ declared 
Teddy, quickly. 

“You must have had an awful time, and come 
mighty near going under. And to think of our 
meeting in this strange way ! It looks as though 
we were intended to be companions in trouble. 
Anyhow, let’s get acquainted, and perhaps we 
may find it possible to land on some desert 
island, and play Robinson Crusoe for a while.” 

Teddy introduced himself without hesitation. 
“You see I’m a Canadian, and my father came 
from Scotland long ago. I’ve been left to do 
pretty much what I wanted for some years, and 
besides passing much time in the bush, camping 


20 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


in summer and with the loggers in winter, I 
conceived the idea of spending a season cruis- 
ing in Florida, having read much about the de- 
lights of that country. So I had this craft built 
under my own eye, and started from the St. 
Lawrence in September, coming down through 
Champlain to the Hudson, and by degrees work- 
ing south until that hurricane swept me through 
an inlet just when I was close to the border of 
the Promised Land. 

^ ^ Some other time I ’ll tell you what a terrible 
experience I’ve had trying to keep afloat, and 
how gloriously glad I was to get* a glimpse of 
this old tub, for you see I didn’t dream that it 
carried a fellow who was really in a worse posi- 
tion than myself. Now, let me hear something 
about you, please.” 

‘‘Of course you’re curious. Who wouldn’t 
be?— to find a chap fastened in a stateroom 
of a waterlogged schooner, and after my hint- 
ing that the captain was to blame for my almost 
going down to Davy Jones’ locker. But you 
shall hear. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 21 


‘‘First, my name is Maro Rolfe, and I am 
a New England boy all through. Being 
brought up in the city of New Bedford, IVe al- 
ways been perfectly at home on a boat of any 
description, and even made one or two voyages 
on vessels that were principally my own. 
Father left considerable property to me. It^s 
the old story about an uncle who was made 
guardian, and who would profit by my being out 
of the way. IVe often read such things, but it 
didn^t seem as though they could occur outside 
of story books; but I’m learning that real life 
is pretty much the same as we read about. 

“Uncle Simon is one of those sly men, always 
rubbing his hands together and speaking in oily 
tones; but I didn’t dream that he wanted to do 
me any harm, though truth to tell I knew he 
wouldn’t have mourned greatly had I been fa- 
tally hurt when injured several times, once by 
falling from a yard-arm and again when swept 
overboard during a storm on the coast. Don’t 
laugh at me when I tell you the way he suc- 
ceeded in sending me to sea with Captain Claw- 


22 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


son, on board the rotten Nancy Lee; for iUs as 
old as the hills, I gness, though just as neatly 
worked today as when our grandfathers were 
boys. 

‘‘Uncle and I came aboard to say good-by to 
the captain, and the next thing I remember was 
when I came to my senses in a stuffy little hole, 
to find myself with a sick headache and the 
schooner far out at sea. The captain was a vile 
brute, and threw off the mask after a few days, 
telling me plainly that I would never go back 
to New Bedford. 

“But whaUs the use going into details'? Why, 
I could talk for an hour about how he abused 
me, and taunted me, believing I would never 
be able to bring him to book. Perhaps I may 
live to punish the rascal as he deserves, and it 
will be some satisfaction to me, I ’m telling you. 

“About the night of the storm. We were 
tossed about for hours, and when the leaks 
gained the crew got ready to leave the vessel. 
It was then Captain Clawson struck me and 
threw me in my cabin, fastening the door so 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 23 


that I could not possibly break out. There I 
stayed, suffering death many times it seemed, 
until I thought I heard some one moving, and 
managed to shout, though my lips were so 
parched I could hardly make a sound. 

^^The storm was slacking up when they went 
away, and I’ve thought they could have saved 
the vessel and her cargo if such a thing had been 
to their liking; hut do you know I’ve an idea 
uncle must have insured her for much more than 
she was worth, and that her loss was an ar- 
ranged thing. In fact, I mean to investigate if 
such a thing is possible, to satisfy myself about 
the scuttling business, for such a crime has been 
done many times to beat the insurance compan- 
ies, and I wouldn’t put anything past that sailor- 
man. ’ ’ 

Thus briefly did the two young castaways in- 
troduce themselves. 

Among hoys what more was needed to consti- 
tute friendship? And if the bonds wanted ce- 
menting surely their sharing a danger in com- 
mon was quite enough to bring about such a 


24 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


union. YvTiy, presently they felt as though they 
had known each other for years, and discovered 
many mutual likes and dislikes that did much 
to add to the strength of the sudden friendship. 

Their situation was so filled with peril that it 
demanded immediate attention ; so they set 
about investigating the condition of the unlucky 
vessel, with the idea of determining just how 
long they might hope to keep afloat. Slowly but 
surely the water was gaining, and while they 
might perhaps ward off the evil hour some by 
laboring at the pumps, the end was inevitable. 

Having decided this question they believed 
it their best policy to fashion some sort of rude 
craft, upon which they might hope to keep afloat 
when the crisis arrived. Both were possessed of 
considerable enthusiasm and sentiment, so that 
the work went on apace, and by degrees spars 
were lashed in a compact form, capable of re- 
sisting the action of the waves so long as not 
subjected to the fury of a storm. This brought 
them up to noon. They laid off for an hour, 
in order to rest and snatch a bite, for the sun 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 25 


shone with considerable power and exhausted 
them. Conditions presented themselves, how- 
ever, that urged a speedy resumption of their 
labor. 

The water continued to gain, and clouds crept 
up along the horizon as though promising an- 
other siege of bad weather ere long. If such 
descended upon them they would he wise to 
have made all preparations in their power, in 
order to increase the chances for successful re- 
sistance. 

Provisions were secured to the raft, as was 
also a keg of water. Teddy, being something of 
a sportsman in his way, fished out his gun from 
the battered little cruiser, and made out to lash 
the same upon their projected float, since he de- 
clared there could he no telling what necessities 
might arise, when such a weapon would come in 
handy. On his part Maro thought more of a 
hatchet he had found, and which he declared 
would prove of greater value should they live 
to reach some island shore. The day was slip- 
ping away, and already had the sun been blotted 


26 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


out of sight by those ugly clouds that gave 
promise of severe weather. 

Teddy had found an old marine glass in the 
cabin, and with this he swept the horizon. Sud- 
denly he announced a discovery, handing the 
glass to his companion for his opinion. 

Maro also made out the speck seen under the 
black cloud belt to be land, probably one of 
those sand-keys so numerous in that section; 
for they had come to the conclusion that the 
northerly storm must have carried them far to 
the south, so that they were now somewhere 
about the Bahamas. 

The second storm did not prove a severe one, 
and the old vessel held on tenaciously so that 
another dawn found them still aboard, drifting 
rapidly southeast, with nothing in sight all 
around. Day followed day with many little 
alarms; but it seemed as though some especial 
Providence must be watching over the two. lads, 
since the water-logged schooner continued to 
float, even though settling gradually nearer the 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 27 


surface of the sea. Several times they had 
sighted other vessels in the distance, but the 
wreck lay so low, and, being without a sign of a 
mast, managed to escape observation, so that 
their frantic signals were useless. 

It looked as though they might be picked up, 
if at all, far beyond the new territory of the 
United States, Porto Rico; for according to the 
crude efforts of Maro to find their latitude and 
longitude with what instruments the captain had 
abandoned when he fled, the schooner had cov- 
ered many hundreds of miles in her long drift 
before tlie prevailing northwest winds, so that 
they were now on the borders of that mystic 
sea of romance and history known as the Car- 
ribean, named after a tribe of savages once in- 
habiting the numerous islands dotting its blue 
surface. Thus the time came when the long ex- 
pected happened. 

It was not in a storm, as they had frequently 
anticipated, that they were compelled to aban- 
don the schooner, for the day was bright and ex- 


28 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


ceedingly hot, with but a catspaw dimpling the 
listless surface of the heavy ocean. 

Teddy made the discovery that a change was 
taking place. ^‘Water’s making fast, and I 
think the end is near,’’ was the way he put it to 
his companion. Investigation proved what he 
said to he the truth, for some new break must 
have occurred, allowing an inflow of the sea ; so 
it was decided their best policy would be to 
get the raft over the side as speedily as possible, 
in order to be ready for emergencies. 

These lads were wise for their years; but 
there is nothing more likely to bring about such 
a condition than responsibility ; and they had no 
older head to advise them now. 

All had been arranged with block and tackle, 
so that a little hard labor accomplished what 
they desired. Some more things were hastily 
thrown upon the raft, and then, as the signs of 
the doomed schooner going down began to be 
painfully evident, they jumped overboard and 
paddled some distance off. When the final 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 29 


moment came, and with a strange sound not un- 
like a sob the old vessel sank out of sight, Teddy 
felt a lump in his throat, and neither could 
speak a single word for some little time. 


CHAPTEE III. 

MABOONED FOB A CEBTAINTY. 

Teddy still clung to the marine glass as 
though in it he recognized a faithful friend that 
might sooner or later he of value to them. 

For a brief time they sat there gaping at the 
spot where the vessel had gone down, marked 
with only a mass of bubbles that gradually van- 
ished until nothing was left to tell the tale be- 
yond some scattered bits of loose timber that 
came to the surface buoyantly, and continued to 
float. 

‘‘Well, she’s gone, sure enough. Guess we 
didn’t get away any too soon to avoid a duck- 
ing,” remarked Maro, trying to look cheerful. 

“It would have been more serious than that, 
I’m afraid,” said Teddy, who knew the fierce 
30 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 31 


suction brought into play when a ship is drawn 
beneath the waves. 

^‘We look more like a speck on the water than 
ever, ’ ’ ventured the lad from New England. 

Still, we’re all right yet, and my motto is 
never to give up so long as you’ve got a bit of 
breath left. Others have been in worse situa- 
tions than this, and lived to tell the story. We 
must do our level best to pull through, and no- 
body can do more. ’ ’ So they talked cheerfully, 
and believed it a duty to look on the brightest 
side of the trouble, though many would have 
considered that there was little encouragement 
about their prospects. 

Since they were now about on a level with the 
water, observations could not be expected to 
bring about such good results as when on the 
deck of a vessel, or clinging to her crosstrees; 
nevertheless, Teddy made frequent use of his 
glass, and about an hour before sunset discov- 
ered another of those islets so characteristic 
of the tropics. It was far away, but the drift of 
their course seemed to be in that quarter, and 


32 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


consequently both of them were pleased to see 
unmistakable evidence that the island had trees 
upon it, since the setting sun glistened from the 
shiny green foliage, possibly of cocoanuts or the 
still more common palmetto, with its green 
leaves. Thus the night set in. 

It was dark and gloomy, for clouds had come 
hurrying athwart the fair sky, and the young 
moon was obliterated. It seemed cruel that they 
should be threatened with another blow just at 
this critical stage of their adventure, when there 
was at least a chance to land upon a friendly 
shore. Then the wind began to rise, and waves 
splashed over the raft. The boys were soon wet 
through, but this caused them no inconvenience, 
with such a grim prospect for more serious 
things staring them in the face. 

Familiarity with danger may lessen its ter- 
rors somewhat, but surely no healthy young 
mind can face death without more or less ter- 
ror; and what with the howling wind, the toss- 
ing sea and the extreme difficulty which they ex- 
perienced in maintaining their hold on the now 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 33 


shifting raft, the hoys could he excused for feel- 
ing scared. At the same time they kept their 
heads about them, and tried to cheer each other 
up by occasional words of comfort, shouted al- 
most at the top of their voices. 

How long could the raft hold out? That 
seemed to he the leading and most important 
question, for the spars had only been secured 
with ropes, and these lashings must he chafed 
by the constant rubbing and grinding, until 
finally eaten through they would allow the vari- 
ous timbers to be tom asunder. When that oc- 
curred our lads must expect to find themselves 
struggling in the angry sea, with their chances 
considerably reduced. 

Among other things which they had secured 
from the wreck of the Nancy Lee had been a 
number of life preservers, which, though rather 
the worse for wear and age, might still prove 
of benefit in a stmggle for existence in the flood 
of waters. They had well fastened several of 
these to their persons, and hoped to benefit from 
the same should the worst come upon them. 


34 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


How long their suspense lasted neither ever 
knew. It might have been hours, judging from 
the strain which racked them, body and mind. 

Maro knew the raft was beginning to go to 
pieces, and feared that the dreaded moment 
must be close at hand when they would no lon- 
ger be able to keep each other company, but torn 
apart would have to fight for existence against 
the fury of the monster that sought new vic- 
tims. 

It seemed as though the clamor of the storm 
had doubled during the last few minutes, and 
yet Maro did not see how that could be. Sud- 
denly he became aware of a familiar pounding 
sound amid the throbbing noises around them, 
which he believed could only be caused by the 
billows beating a sandy stretch of shore. Then 
they must have been driven close to the island, 
which had been sighted before night closed in 
upon them. 

Oh, if they could only manage to get out of 
this mad swirl of waters, and feel the solid 
ground beneath their feet! Just then such a 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 35 


thing appeared to be the greatest luxury in the 
world. He tried to communicate with his chum, 
and while unable to catch what Teddy shouted 
back, believed the other must have divined what 
he meant. 

It was fortunate such a crisis came before 
they were too exhausted to make a fight for it. 
When a billow that was more strenuous than 
any preceding it had torn the raft asunder and 
allowed them to cling to a single spar, they be- 
gan to strike out in a puny fashion for the shore. 
At least it appeared puny when contrasted with 
the fierce energy of the storm demon against 
which they pitted their efforts. 

Several times Teddy feared the end, when 
swallowed in a smother of yeasty foam he felt 
the spar being almost torn from his rapidly 
weakening clutch; but Young Canada had a 
tenacious desire to remain in the land of the 
living, and he renewed his hold as well as con- 
ditions allowed. 

It was with a thrill of gratitude that he felt 
his feet strike the bottom, although the next in- 


36 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


stant he found himself swimming again, buoyed 
up more or less by the cork life-preservers under 
his arms. Again this same thing happened, and 
it seemed to Teddy that they were now in water 
even more shallow than before, a fact of tre- 
mendous significance, since it meant that they 
were being surely pushed ashore. And his com- 
panion had by this time guessed the same thing, 
as a shout announced during a temporary lull 
in the turmoil. 

By a united effort they managed to gain a 
footing the next time there was a recurrence of 
the sand-touching phenomenon, and even stag- 
gered forward a few paces before being caught 
up by a rushing infiow of salty water. One 
thing helped them. Both lads had known con- 
siderable of life on the ocean, and were well ac- 
quainted with such little tricks to cheat the 
grasping suck of the tide as are common among 
shore dwellers of the coast, though familiarity 
never breeds contempt for the mighty monster 
abiding in the sea. Finally a mighty effort 
emancipated them from the clinging grasp of 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 37 


the water, and they staggered out of the deep, 
much like drunken men. Never mind, it seemed 
good enough to know that they had found a ref- 
uge amid all this wild confusion. 

Nothing could possibly be done while the 
darkness lasted, so they moved off inland a bit, 
and finding shelter behind a hummock, tried to 
talk the situation over, though the noise of the 
pounding billows, together with the rush of 
the wind, made talking an effort. Pretty soon 
Teddy found his lips quivering, for what with 
their soaking, together with the violent efforts 
put forth, the wind felt actually cold. 

A fire promised relief, if only one could be 
started. Teddy declared he had matches in a 
waterproof safe in his pocket, an announcement 
that his friend greeted with delight. Together 
they set about finding material for a blaze. 

This is never lacking where palmettoes grow, 
since the dead stalks and leaves offer fine tinder, 
ready to flash into a blaze at the scratch of a 
lucifer. So it was that presently a flame shot 
into the air, just around the point of land where 


38 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


a little cove seemed to set in, and once the fire 
had been started both lads bnsied themselves in 
accumulating a sufficient supply of material to 
keep it going. Ah! this was something like, 
and if all shipwrecked mariners could fare as 
sumptuously there would be little cause for com- 
plaint. In this manner did they put in the 
night. 

While one slept the other stood guard, not 
that they anticipated the presence of any dan- 
gerous beasts on the sand island, but simply be- 
cause they were nervous and thought it best to 
be on the safe side. 

That was a night neither would ever forget as 
long as they lived. It seemed to be never end- 
ing; and the storm, while short-lived, was a 
howler so long as it kept up. 

It was while Teddy stood guard that the dawn 
came. Long before the clouds had parted and 
allowed the silvery stars a chance to look down 
upon the rough camp of the two castaways, so 
when the east began to redden Teddy knew the 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 39 


sun must soon appear to brighten things up and 
give them good cheer. 

He hurried down to the water ^s edge in the 
hope that some of the things they had upon the 
raft might have been flung on the shore; and 
finding that this was indeed the case he busied 
himself in dragging such articles out of reach 
of the rising tide. While thus occupied he was 
joined by his fellow prisoner, who also entered 
into the business with a zest. 

Some of the food was so water-soaked as to be 
utterly worthless, but other portions had not 
been injured, so that starvation did not imme- 
diately stare them in the face, at any rate. Hav- 
ing eaten, their next thought was in connection 
with the island upon which they had been so 
providentially cast, and which might be their 
home for many moons. It became an object 
with them to explore their domain, in order to 
ascertain its dimensions. 

Teddy was uneasy, for he understood that 
there were times when the dreaded West India 
hurricane originating around the Leeward Is- 


40 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


lands, in its fnry devastated Porto Eico. At 
snch times small sand-keys were utterly over- 
whelmed and blotted out of sight, to reappear 
again perhaps at a later period of calm. Of 
course the presence of trees gave them reason to 
hope that the hit of land upon which they had 
found refuge might not be in this floating class, 
though there could be no telling when its day 
might come. 

These vague fears were soon laid at rest, for 
their territory appeared so spacious, and the 
disturbed sea was so rapidly becoming quiet 
again, that it seemed ridiculous to suspect evil 
from such a tame source. How easy it is in the 
midst of peace to forget war’s alarms ! 

The trees were clustered about the northwest 
end of the island, as though this region might be 
reckoned least liable to inundation, a fact that 
gave them the idea of making their camp in the 
same quarter. Transporting their lumber and 
other things of value took up the greater portion 
of the morning, so that it was rather late in the 
day when they set to work building a shelter. 


CHAPTER IV. 

DRAWING RATIONS FROM THE SEA. 

When night began to close in around them 
the prisoners of the sand-key were tired out, 
and hungry as Tartars, so that very naturally 
their thoughts turned in the direction of supper. 
The fire had not been allowed to die out com- 
pletely, since their supply of matches was ex- 
tremely limited. A small amount of blowing 
and judicious coaxing served to start it into a 
bright flame, and presently the odor of cooking 
spread over the strip of shore, possibly for the 
first time since the islet was fashioned by the 
throes of Nature, during some equinoctial hurri- 
cane in the past. The wonderful air-tight qual- 
ities of those screw-top canisters belonging to 
Teddy ^s camp-chest had preserved the contents 
from salt water, and thus they were enabled to 

41 


42 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


enjoy the luxury of a pannikin of tea, together 
with a stew fashioned out of corned beef and 
some succotash, which, with some ship biscuits, 
a little the worse for their salt bath, combined 
to make a feast for the hungry workers. 

The shelter was also a comfort, since it would 
shield the sleepers from the heavy dews so apt 
to saturate everything under the bare sky in 
this region of the semi-tropics. Besides, in 
case of rain it would come in very handy, though 
not of sufficient stability to resist a storm of ex- 
treme violence. 

Long the two friends talked around the blaze 
of their campfire, and many schemes were 
broached, looking to their ultimate release from 
the lone isle. Some of the ideas advanced on 
the spur of the moment were doubtless not only 
eccentric but absurd, yet on the other hand 
germs of good common sense abounded in others 
which in due time might prove to be the founda- 
tion for a successful move. 

One thing gave Teddy considerable satisfac- 
tion. Just before the sun had sunk out of sight 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 43 


beyond that monotonous line of watery horizon 
he had had his attention attracted toward some 
object bobbing up and down in the water a little 
way down the western shore of the island, and, 
upon hurrying thither, what was his delight to 
find that it was his sturdy little cruiser trying 
to make a landing. Those air-tight compart- 
ments had buoyed up the damaged boat despite 
the violence of the seas that pounded at her frail 
sides; and thinking that there must be some- 
thing especially providential in this Teddy had 
halloed until his companion came running in hot 
haste, looking somewhat alarmed, as though 
fearing lest trouble had cropped up. 

Maro may not have felt the same peculiar 
affection for the mosquito craft that filled the 
breast of the young Canuck, for Teddy had 
spent many comfortable weeks cruising in the 
Loon; but he could in a measure catch some of 
the enthusiasm which caused his chum to con- 
sider the eventual repairing of the craft, and a 
future voyage in her to some inhabited island 
of the Caribbean. Accordingly, they set to 


44 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


work to drag the almost wholly submerged 
cedar boat from the water, a task by no means 
easy, especially after their hard work of the 
day. It was accomplished at last, however, and 
a rope attached to one of the palmettoes insured 
its safety until such time as they could work it 
still further above the line of high tide. Finally 
they lay down to sleep. 

It was a strange situation for two young chaps 
yet under eighteen, but then both were accus- 
tomed to camp life, and as for Teddy, he had 
not slept under a genuine roof these last two 
months, so that on the whole they were in a con- 
dition to make the best of matters, and feel 
grateful that their lives had been spared. 

Several times Maro awakened, and, having a 
little nervous feeling connected with the con- 
dition of affairs, after the strain of his narrow 
escape on board the schooner, he crawled out- 
side to take an observation connected with the 
weather. The stars shone brightly in the dark 
blue heavens, the breeze came in softly over the 
swelling sea, bringing with it the odors so well 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 45 


beloved by those who worship at the shrine of 
salty water, and not a sign of trouble rewarded 
his vigil, so that he again sought his slumber 
couch, to rest in contentment until another 
dream of turmoil and wreck caused him to sit up 
suddenly and listen. So the night wore away, 
and the dawn came along. 

There were to be no sluggards on Stevenson 
Island, and accordingly both lads were astir at 
the first peep of day, the fire was renewed, and 
Maro prepared breakfast, while Teddy, eager to 
ascertain just what the damage to the Loon 
might amount to, set to work making a thorough 
examination of her sides. 

While the boat was not so broken as to be be- 
yond repair under ordinary conditions, where 
the mechanic had control of tools and material 
with which to work, it would have seemed a 
hopeless task to most boys who were in Teddy’s 
place. He happened to possess an astonishing 
amount of persistence, and was also inclined to 
look on the bright side of things. No matter 
what happened it might have been much worse ; 


46 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


and he believed that given time he could even 
mend the Loon so as to make her nearly as sea- 
worthy as when he sailed her down old Cham- 
plain and through Lake George to the Hudson. 

There was no lack of things to do. Indeed, 
the puzzle seemed to be how to find time to at- 
tempt all of them. Maro chanced to be a lover 
of system, and with the ready consent of his 
comrade he jotted down in order the various 
tasks that seemed most necessary, so that valu- 
able time might not be wasted in wandering 
from one to another. 

Two of the stoutest spars were lashed firmly 
together, and to the top of this pole a signal was 
secured, after which the mast was planted in the 
sand at such a point where the waving flag 
might, according to their ideas, best be noticed 
by any chance passing vessel. This is the first 
duty of shipwrecked mariners, according to all 
accounts from De Foe down to modern times. 

Just how long their stay on the island might 
turn out to be, was a question neither could an- 
swer. If it should be beyond reasonable limits 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 47 


they would find themselves hard put to provide 
suitable provisions, since their visible supply 
did not amount to a great deal, and as yet they 
had run across no convenient wreck from which 
all manner of good things might be secured. 
That might come in time ; it usually does in all 
stories connected with Crusoe life; but they 
would do well not to count on such a bonanza. 

Maro rigged several fish-lines, the material 
being found in that compartment of the little 
cruising boat where the Canadian boy had kept 
his odds and ends. A suitable spot was found 
and set-lines thrown out, in the hope of a strike 
that might give them fish for dinner. Then 
they started to work. Teddy cleaning his gun, 
which had come ashore when he did, while the 
other lad searched the beach for anything of 
value that might have been washed up during 
the night. 

How many times during the hours marking 
that first day on the lonely sand-key did their 
wistful eyes search the horizon in the hopes of 
sighting some manner of sail, or the black smoke 


48 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


of a passing steamer bound from South or Cen- 
tral American ports to New York, but disap- 
pointment rewarded all these eager observa- 
tions ; for while the daylight lasted not a speck 
appeared upon the sky-line, though several 
times a passing bird far out at sea, or the antics 
of some porpoises among the rollers, where they 
seemed to come in contact with the falling sky, 
gave either of the lads a sudden thrill. They 
would get accustomed to these things in time, 
for many grievous disappointments were to 
make their hearts sick. 

Looking back over the day, they could con- 
gratulate themselves on numerous things done, 
or at least started, and their weariness when 
nightfall descended attested to the vigor with 
which they had labored. 

The fishing had been productive of results, 
though Teddy had to watch the lines if they 
were to reap any reward from their enterprise. 
When they examined the lines at noon the bait 
was gone from one, while attached to the other 
was a large fish-head, showing that a prisoner 



HE HAD THE SATISFACTION OP DRAGGING A PRIZE FROM THE SEA. 

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MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 49 


had been taken and then appropriated by some 
hungry shark. 

Teddy thought he would inspect the line more 
frequently, and seeing some commotion later on 
he drew in, this time saving about a third of a 
fish, the balance having been snapped otf as 
clean as a whistle by rapacious teeth. It did 
not look promising, but Teddy immediately re- 
baited the hook. His confidence was not mis- 
placed, for he presently had the satisfaction of 
dragging a silvery prize from the sea, though 
only for his deftness it too would have gone the 
way of the others, for he plainly saw the dorsal 
fin of a shark follow the captive some little dis- 
tance toward shore. 

Enough was as good as a feast, and having 
prepared the fish for supper he returned to his 
allotted task. Perhaps the cookery was not al- 
together carried out according to the most scien- 
tific principles known to modern kitchens, but it 
satisfied the longings of two hungry and not 
overly particular boys to a dot, and when they 


50 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


had eaten until the point of satiety was reached 
the snpper was declared a hnge success. 

Things were much more comfortable on this 
the second night of their stay on the island, since 
Maro had been tinkering around at odd times 
during the day, improving the sleeping accom- 
modations and putting things to rights after his 
ideas of ship-shape housekeeping. 

Teddy, while methodical in some things, was 
a genuine boy when it came to leaving articles 
around after he had used them ; and in a playful 
spirit he nicknamed his companion the Old 
Maid, at which Maro only smiled, for the title 
had, be it said, been bestowed upon him fre- 
quently in the past, and, besides, there was only 
affection in the way the Canadian uttered it. 

One discovery Maro made while prowling 
along the shore. He had noticed certain marks 
in the sand that looked as though some heavy 
body had been dragged up the beach, and the 
signs of claws gave him a pointer that solved 
the mystery. Why, of course it had been a tur- 
tle. This was not the season for the laying of 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 


51 


eggs, spring being the usual time ; but then it is 
possible to find isolated cases of nesting at any 
time of year, for there is no real winter in the 
Caribbean. 

Saying nothing to Teddy, wishing to give him 
a surprise if all turned out well, he crept from 
the shelter, leaving his companion fast asleep. 
The moon still hung trembling above the hori- 
zon, and gave a certain amount of light, so that 
with a stout stick in his hand Maro walked in 
the direction of the spot where he had seen the 
tracks. He knew enough about the habits of 
the creatures to understand that if the process 
of egg-laying was not completed in one night it 
would be resumed on the next, and he enter- 
tained high hopes that some good fortune would 
bring him success. As he drew near the spot 
he strained his eyes to discover anything that 
would indicate the presence of a loggerhead 
upon the beach, and seeing something moving 
toward the water he gave a shout and rushed 
to the attack. 


CHAPTER V. 

A STORM, AND A SAIL. 

Teddy was aroused by the shout, and came 
tumbling out, filled with wonder, for he could 
not comprehend what manner of trouble had 
come to pass to bring about such a night alarm. 
Maro could be heard up the beach, calling him 
to be quick or it would get away ; and while this 
failed to illuminate the mystery, it at least 
brought Teddy to his senses, for he only stopped 
to snatch up his gun, and then set out on a bee- 
line for the scene of the disturbance. 

He found a very busy young man when he 
arrived, for Maxo was doing everything he knew 
how to keep the turtle from reaching water. In 
some manner, after failing to turn the creature 
over on its back, as he understood was the style 
of those who professionally hunted turtles for 
52 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 53 


the market, he had managed to secure a hold on 
one of its hind flippers, and bracing himself in 
the yielding sand as best the opportunity al- 
lowed, he tugged right manfully to hold his own. 

The turtle had the best in the contest. It was 
a case of four legs against two, and the sharp 
toe-nails of the creature gave it a great ad- 
vantage, since Maro continued to slip on the 
sand. Despite his strenuous resistance the lad 
was slowly but surely being dragged nearer the 
edge of the sea, and left alone he soon must have 
admitted himself beaten or else gone adrift with 
his persistent adversary, which would hardly 
have been a paying investment. 

Teddy joined in the game with enthusiasm, 
for he had heard much with regard to the de- 
lightful qualities of turtle soup, and was anx- 
ious to try the same. While Maro tugged with 
renewed zeal he took a hand by poking a lever 
under the turtle and with a scientiflc thrust en- 
deavoring to turn the creature on its back. Sev- 
eral failures did not daunt the young marooner, 
and finally he gave a shout of delight as the 


54 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


wildly waving flippers clawed the air and the 
feat was accomplished. 

When they had rested a bit the hoys set to 
work dragging their captive further up the 
beach, and anchoring the same by a rope that 
was fastened around one leg ; for they could not 
quite convince themselves that in some myster- 
ious way the creature might not yet manage to 
right itself again while they slept. Well, the 
palmetto was not so easy to drag as Maro had 
been, and there seemed to be a fair chance that 
they might find the turtle safe when morning 
arrived. 

Nor was this all. They set about discovering 
where the treasure-trove lay, and as the trail 
stood out plainly it was not a difficult task to 
follow the same to the nest. 

Burrowing into the soft sand which had been 
flattened down by the female turtle after her 
eggs were deposited, Maro began to toss out 
such an accumulation of soft-shelled things that 
his companion ran to the ‘‘barracks” for some 
sort of a receptacle in which to hold them. This 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 55 


was a decided windfall, and promised them 
many a treat in the line of food, since omelets 
could he made without number. 

All fears of starvation might be set at rest, 
for no matter how long they were doomed to 
remain on the island it seemed possible to al- 
ways draw upon the wonderful resources of the 
sea in order to secure an abundance of supplies. 
Why, they began to actually enjoy the situation, 
if only some assurance might be had that in 
good season they would be rescued before a 
hurricane swept across the Caribbean that 
would threaten to engulf their little oasis in the 
desert of waters. Really, it hardly seemed pos- 
sible that any one could remain upon an island 
in this region for any great length of time un- 
discovered and left to his own devices ; and yet 
their refuge was but such a minute affair that it 
might not be visited once in ten years. 

The next day was another busy one. Maro 
attended to Madame Turtle, and with infinite 
trouble managed to get her shell off, though the 
task of cutting up the jerking flesh was one he 


56 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


never hankered after again. No one who has 
never carved a turtle can imagine the sensation 
brought about by the muscular contractions of 
the flesh even hours after death has apparently 
come to the creature. But it was worth all the 
trouble, and both boys united in declaring the 
stew a feast fit for a king. 

There were some clouds in the sky when the 
sun went down again, and Maro eyed them reflec- 
tively, after the manner of one who had been in 
constant touch with sailors all his life. It was 
about time for another turn in the weather, and 
they must prepare themselves as best they could 
for whatever came. It arrived all right, and 
with a boom that rather startled the boys. 

Possibly it was an hour or so after midnight 
that there was a sudden roar of thunder in the 
air, and the rude shelter shook with the rush of 
wind. The sounds that greeted them might 
have brought dismay to even bolder hearts than 
theirs, for the shrieking winds passing through 
the palmetto tops made a fearful noise, which 
was added to by the dash of increasing waves 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 57 


upon the shore, and the boom of thunder. 
Plashes of lightning followed in almost constant 
succession, so they could not at least complain 
of being unable to see. 

How satisfactory it was to remember that 
they had fastened the little shelter to the trees 
with additional ropes, so that it seemed as 
though it could only he carried away by a blast 
of such violence as might tear a palmetto tree 
from its foundations. That proved how it paid 
to take precautions, for had they left anything 
outside it would have been swept into the sea 
by the rush of wind. 

Plainly there could he no more sleep that 
night. Nor was it of any use going outside to 
he soaked with the deluge of rain. Several 
times both sprang to their feet in alarm when 
some fierce gust made the shelter quiver and 
act as though about to leave them to the fury 
of the gale, with no protection overhead. But 
finally, as the hour of dawn drew nearer, the 
storm abated. 

Early Maro went forth to see what the effect 


58 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


of the storm had been. He found that the shore 
line was altered, as doubtless might be expected 
after each and every storm of consequence, but 
there did not appear to be much material dam- 
age done. A few things had been lost, among 
others the shell of the turtle, which Maro had 
intended to scrape later on and in some way 
utilize as a receptable. Teddy suggested that 
it would make an admirable bath-tub, but with 
the whole ocean in which to dip the idea had not 
struck the New England boy with any force, 
and now the question had been solved for them 
in another manner. 

Of course he scanned the horizon for a sail, 
and used the old marine glass which had fol- 
lowed his fortunes since deserted on the wreck 
by that rascally mariner Captain Clawson. This 
time he found what he sought, and called his 
companion. 

There was a white speck on the horizon which 
could not be anything but a vessel booming 
along before the fresh breeze that followed the 
storm; but that did not mean they were to be 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 59 


rescued. It was only one chance in twenty the 
course of the schooner would bring her close 
enough to the sand-key so that her lookout might 
discover the signal of distress flying from the 
pole, and which had stood the gale splendidly. 

Breakfast was prepared under difficulties, for 
every few minutes both hoys wished to take a 
squint through the glass in hopes that the white 
spot might he growing apace; but alas and 
alack! they finally found themselves forced to 
admit that it became beautifully less, showing 
that the boat must he leaving them, she having 
passed the island some two hours before day- 
break. Although disappointed, the hoys saw 
much in the incident to encourage them. It 
looked as though they were not entirely out of 
the beaten track of vessels trading between the 
two Americas, and they might with reason hope 
to see another vessel at any time. 

Much awaited their attention on this day. An 
hour or so was spent in repairing the ravages of 
the storm on their habitation, and then while 
Teddy devoted his attention to the job of start- 


60 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


ing repairs on the little boat, Maro took up other 
tasks of various kinds. He caught another fish, 
and was in turn almost dragged into the sea by a 
vigorous shark, as he supposed, or some im- 
mense creature that became involved in a dis- 
pute with the stout hook at the end of the line, 
and which our pertinacious young friend en- 
deavored to pull ashore. Fortunately he had 
been wise enough to drive a stake in the sand 
near the water ^s edge, which he denominated his 
‘ ‘ snuhhing-post, ’ ^ and by taking a few quick 
turns around this with the bight of the cord ere 
the captive could drag him into the water, he 
managed to stay the vigorous first rush of the 
fish. 

When Teddy came to his assistance they were 
enabled to drag the unwilling prisoner ashore. 
It was not a shark, hut a gigantic fish shaped 
after the pattern of a monster sea-bass. Neither 
of them knew to a certainty, but Maro said he 
had read about a certain jew-fish that was 
caught along the Florida coast weighing up to 
four hundred pounds, and this seemed to answer 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 61 


the description to a dot. Anyhow, they 
chopped a big cube ont of the side and boiled 
it in a tin kettle, both prononncing it splendid 
eating, and only a little inferior to fresh hali- 
but, which it closely resembled, though some- 
what coarser in fiber. 

Keally, it was fun to be thrown upon their 
own resources in this way, as any intelligent 
American boy must admit, especially if he pos- 
sess the element of being able to take care of 
himself, such as seemed to be a part of our 
friends’ natures. So several more days glided 
by. Indeed, it was a mystery where the time 
did go, the boys found so many duties which 
had to be attended to. 

They had now been on the island a week, and 
were beginning to feel like old settlers. They 
had given a name to every little cove and point, 
and in order to remember how things looked 
when, at a future day they might talk of their 
strange experience in the romantic Caribbean, 
Maro even went to the trouble of drawing an 
elaborate map of the island upon which he in- 


62 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


scribed all the queer names bestowed upon its 
various sections, and which were for the most 
part supplied by Teddy from memories he held 
of various characters in Dickens, his favorite 
writer. 

Thus they had their camp on Dickens ’ Island, 
in David Copperfield grove; the habitation it- 
self was known as Bleak House ; a point near by, 
having a zigzag appearance, flourished under 
the significant name of Oliver Twist Cape, and 
so it went on, sometimes with more or less hu- 
morous effect as the idea struck the Canadian 
lad. 


CHAPTER VI. 


WKECKED ON A LEE SHORE. 

Teddy was making fair progress on the re- 
pairs of the Loon, though it did prove to be hard 
work, considering the fact that he had so few 
proper tools with which to accomplish the task, 
and the material for repairs was so limited. 
He felt fairly encouraged with his enterprise, 
and promised that, when a certain time had 
elapsed, he would have the cedar boat ready for 
their voyage to some other island, where they 
might hope to find some of their kind, and event- 
ually board a vessel. 

Teddy knew his Robinson thoroughly, and 
was able to surprise his companion in various 
ways, very often agreeably. Of course there 
was no need of their attempting many of the 
things which that famous Crusoe accomplished. 


64 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


since their stay on the sand-key was not likely 
to he of great duration; and, besides, they did 
not have the material for making pots, nor were 
there wild goats to capture or tame. 

Possibly it might be up to them sooner or 
later to defend themselves, not against canni- 
bals, but some of the lawless spirits that roam 
these semi-tropical seas in search of plunder, 
ready to rob a planter, or pillage a wreck wher- 
ever it might be found. A story of the Carib- 
bean Sea would hardly be complete without the 
introduction of such elements, for they certain- 
ly abound in that home of the old-time buccan- 
eer, almost as cruel and crafty as the chaps who 
cruised in search of those famous silver laden 
ships of the Spanish Main, of which history has 
so much to say. 

Maro knew this, for had he not heard many 
weird tales told around the galley-fire on board 
some fishing boat lying on the Grand Banks one 
season, related by grizzled old salts who had 
voyaged many a time to South American ports 
ere turning fishermen! Thus by degrees he 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 65 


caused the young Canadian to feel more or less 
uneasiness concerning these things, and fall to 
speculating whether or not it would he to their 
advantage to have a vessel anchor otf the is- 
land, seeing that the chances of their being 
roughly handled seemed so very strong. 

Although they had kept a bright lookout for 
another hit of luck, they had failed to discover 
a second turtle ashore, so that only the fond 
memory of those delicious steaks remained to 
haunt them, since the storm had carried the bal- 
ance of their stock of meat adrift. With some 
self-raising flour which he had in one of the tin 
cannisters, practical camper Teddy fashioned 
some glorious flapjacks, which he cooked in ap- 
proved manner over the fire, even giving each 
the traditional toss in the air when ready to 
turn it over, which wonderful operation no 
doubt accounts for the name of the toothsome 
morsel. And Maro vowed he had never in all 
his life partaken of a feast so delightful as those 
cakes when sprinkled with a little sugar. 

We all look back to certain occasions when fe- 


66 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


rocious appetite makes ns imagine we are feast- 
ing on nectar of the gods, though under other 
circumstances we might turn up our noses in 
disgust at the identical bill of fare. Let us be 
thankful then that there are such oases in our 
lives when we are ready to accept small favors 
with full hearts. 

They drank their cotfee without milk or sugar 
and reckoned it ambrosia, though Maro had 
never been able to bring himself to like it this 
way in his comfortable home. 

The sun became so hot about the middle of 
the day that they were glad to knock off work 
and lie around under the shade of the trees, 
where the ocean breeze cooled their fevered 
brows; hut a few hours spent in recuperating 
their wasted energies could be easily made up 
in the early morning or while the moon held 
high carnival, for it was now drawing near its 
full stage, and rose just before the red orb of 
day plunged behind the watery horizon in the 
west. 

Many things had been carried out, looking 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 67 


toward their added comfort; and still Maro 
found his list of jobs to be done growing longer 
all the while, so it did not appear as though 
he would lack for work, should their enforced 
stay on the isle run far into the weeks. When 
indications pointed toward another spell of bad 
weather they were in a position to face it with 
less fear of results than on the other occasion. 

Toward evening one day black clouds began 
to sweep up from the storm quarter, and pre- 
sented such a wonderful appearance that the 
boys knocked off work in order to watch the 
advance of the outriders. 

The dark masses rolling in battalions looked 
for all the world like cavalry charging into the 
mouth of cannon that spurted out fire and smoke 
as the lightnings flashed, while the deep-toned 
thunder added to the picturesque deception. It 
thrilled them with its magnificence, and both 
declared they could not remember ever having 
witnessed such a grand spectacle in more north- 
ern climes. By mere chance Teddy cast his 
weather eye over the ocean, possibly because he 


68 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


thought to see how the water might look with 
the angry glow of the lightning reflected from 
its dark and forbidding surface. 

‘^See!’^ he exclaimed, suddenly, ‘‘a sail, a 
sail, and hearing down on the island hand over 
fist!’^ And in plain sight could be seen the 
white sail of a small boat which flew before the 
increasing wind like a frightened bird. 

^‘Can they make a harbor U’ asked Maro anx- 
iously, for it began to look as though human 
lives might he placed in jeopardy when the 
storm in all its fury broke. 

‘^It’s an even chance. If the blast will only 
hold off ten minutes longer perhaps they can 
run in ; but I fear the chances are against them. 
We must be on the watch to do what little we 
can if the worst comes to 'pass,’’ declared 
Teddy. 

Perhaps those on board were wreckers, or 
lawless spongers who would not hesitate to rob 
them of their little possessions ; but to the credit 
of the boys be it said, they never gave this mat- 
ter a moment’s thought, only remembering that 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 69 


danger hung over the heads of those who were 
their fellows, and that perhaps it might he their 
privilege to render some assistance. That was 
where they proved the manly spirit animating 
their lives. 

It was a time of considerable anxiety fo the 
lads, and they watched the progress of the lit- 
tle craft with an interest that manifested itself 
in hated breath and trembling hands. 

<< There she comes cried Maro suddenly, 
pointing out to where a smother of white foam 
told how the squall was rushing down with the 
speed of a race-horse upon the vessel. There 
came a tremendous blast of thunder just then, 
and as though this reverberating crash had 
burst the reservoirs of the low-hanging clouds 
the rain swooped down in a perfect torrent, and 
like magic the whole scene was wiped out of 
sight, so that only a wall of descending water 
greeted their strained vision. 

The boys were so overcome with concern for 
the safety of those on board the vessel that they 
gave little heed to the fact that they had already 


70 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


become soaked to the skin. That was a mighty 
small matter as compared with the uncertainty 
hanging over the fate of those who were out 
yonder in all that turmoil of raging waters, the 
sport of a tropical storm. So they gave up all 
thoughts of supper, and standing as close to the 
tumbling waters as they dared, strove to pierce 
that veil spread out before them so tantaliz- 
ingly. 

Once or twice Teddy thought he caught 
sounds that resembled shouts or screams; but 
the roar of the wind through the palmettoes, to- 
gether with the deafening crash of the great 
waves on the sandy beach, made a combination 
that created all manner of weird noises, and it 
seemed an utter impossibility for the voice of a 
struggling sailor to be heard amid the din. 

‘^This is awful,” said Teddy in his friend ^s 
ear, as they hung side by side and kept vigil, 
hoping to be of some use should any one of the 
vessel’s crew survive the shock and be washed 
ashore. 

^‘I’m afraid they’ve all been drowned,” de- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 71 


dared Teddy finally, as time passed and they 
neither saw nor heard anything more. 

The conditions had improved in various ways, 
ting much lighter. Perhaps that will help us 
some. We must go along the shore and keep a 
good lookout. IVe known of many a poor fel- 
low being washed up on the sand, and too weak 
to help himself, carried back to sea by another 
wave larger than the first,” said Maro. 

^MDs hard luck all around, both for those poor 
chaps as well as ourselves, eh, mate 1 ’ remarked 
Teddy. 

^ ‘ But I guess we Ve got the best of it. Any- 
how, I wouldn T like to change places with them 
just now. Let’s move along and see if any- 
thing has come ashore. ’ ’ 

The conditions had improved in various ways, 
for the worst of the blow seemed to have passed ; 
while the moon behind the clouds served to dis- 
sipate the awful blackness that had for a brief 
time hung over the scene of the tragedy. That 
the small craft had surely been wrecked neither 
doubted for a moment, for it seemed beyond all 


72 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


reason that anything could have lived through 
such a fierce experience, especially when close 
upon a lee shore. 

It was Teddy who made the first discovery 
and immediately they found themselves stoop- 
ing over some object that lay spread out on the 
beach. It was a man beyond any question, and 
at first glance they feared he must be beyond all 
hope, for he had all the appearance of one 
drowned. 

Maro had assisted many times in restoring to 
life some unfortunate who had been the sport 
of the waves, and he knew just how to go about 
it in order to preserve the vital spark, if so be 
it still remained in the body. He whipped the 
man over on his chest in a certain position, and 
set Teddy to work pumping his arms with a mo- 
tion calculated to start the action of his almost 
exhausted heart. Success attended his efforts, 
for after a little the other groaned and showed 
unmistakable signs of coming to, which gave 
Teddy reason to increase his efforts, feeling 
that they were not being wasted. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 73 


When the man had so far recovered as to he 
out of danger, the two boys helped him to a posi- 
tion where he could rest his back against one of 
the palmettoes. Maro questioned him with re- 
gard to his companions, but he was in no condi- 
tion to talk, and could only mutter faintly that 
there had been five of them on board the sloop 
when she struck, and that his fellows had been 
cast into the sea at the same time as himself. 
So our boys started out to patrol the beach, hop- 
ing that some good fortune might enable them 
to save others of the ill-fated crew. 


CHAPTEE VII. 

THE PIEATICAL ANTONIO. 

Although the hoys walked completely around 
the little island several times, they discovered 
no signs of other unfortunates, so it seemed 
reasonable to believe that the companions of the 
man they had saved must have been swept into 
the mighty maw of the ocean, and were drowned 
long before this time. 

As it seemed folly to continue the search, they 
returned to the place where they had left the 
resuscitated chap. He was standing up as 
though his strength had almost in full measure 
returned during their absence, showing that he 
could not have received serious injury, though 
his chances would have been slim indeed had not 
the young marooners come upon him when they 
did. Perhaps he understood how much he owed 
74 ' 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 75 


them ; but if so, he was a man not given to many 
words, for he certainly made no mention of the 
fact that he felt under obligations to them. 

As near as Maro could make out he appeared 
to be a pretty tough character, and as he spoke, 
they knew he had Spanish blood in his veins, or 
perhaps it was Portuguese ; hut all the same he 
was fond of ripping out fierce exclamations that 
had a distinct flavor of the piratical order. They 
also discovered that he wore a sash around his 
waist in the approved manner of those bucca- 
neers made famous through history and tradi- 
tion. 

Maro. had never run across any of these blood- 
thirsty villains in his few cruises, hut he had 
watched their antics on the stage as depicted in 
the comic opera of the '^Pirates of Penzance,^’ 
and felt positive he could not be mistaken in the 
breed. 

Well, they were two against one, and, besides, 
it did not appear that Antonio, as he gave his 
name, could be armed with anything beyond a 
sheath-knife which he carried in his sash, while 


76 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


they had the gun, a hatchet and a knife apiece. 
Then, again, it would seem as though the fellow 
could hardly be wholly insensible to the fact 
that these lads had saved his miserable life, and 
surely he ought to have a grain of gratitude in 
his make-up for his preservers, even if he failed 
to manifest the same by means of outward ex- 
pressions. 

They took him to the camp. Antonio was 
duly impressed with the variety of their posses- 
sions, nor did Maro wholly like the manner in 
which his black eyes shot around from one ob- 
ject to another, just as though the question 
might have flashed up in his mind as to whether 
in the pile of plunder there might not be some 
treasure-trove. These Spanish- American vaga- 
bonds of the Caribbean are ever dreaming of 
striking it rich some fine day, since they have 
from infancy heard the most stupendous lies 
about Captain Kidd, Blackboard and their tribe, 
secreting fabulous amounts of treasure, and in 
fact, come to believe every fairy tale as gospel 
truth. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 77 


Fortimately, they had the means for making 
a fire, keeping a supply of dry wood under shel- 
ter all the while in anticipation of just such an 
emergency as this. 

Teddy started a pot of coffee, though their 
supply had reached a low ebb by this time, and 
every thimbleful seemed very precious, but all 
of them were in need of some stimulant after the 
strain they had gone through. 

The rescued man eyed these preparations 
with satisfaction, and as the odor of the boiling 
beans began to permeate the atmosphere of the 
little shelter he sniffed the air hungrily, while 
his eyes lighted up with a satisfaction too great 
for words. Plainly he was not disposed to say 
anything unless well pumped, and this circum- 
stance did not impress the boys in his favor, 
since it seemed to them that the right kind of a 
fellow should have been bubbling over with grat- 
itude toward those who had served him as they 
had done, and were still doing. 

It was still raining, but the violence of the 
storm was gone, and no doubt the clouds would 


78 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


presently break, allowing the moon to show her- 
self in all her glory. 

Maro had busied himself about the fire, cook- 
ing some fish which he had caught that day, 
using as bait the curious little fiddler crabs that 
scurried in legions along portions of the beach, 
and which were, as he expressed it, just ‘^pie^’ 
to the sheepshead hanging around some rocky 
spots along the southern end of the island, which 
rocks were of course of the coquina species, 
fashioned by minute insects, much as coral is 
formed under the water. 

; They fell to and made a meal. The pirate, as 
Teddy persisted in calling their guest, had his 
appetite with him all right, and it evidently 
had not been impaired by his submersion in the 
briny deep, for he ate with such a vim that the 
boys realized their stay on the island would 
have to be of less duration than they had hither- 
to counted on, if they hoped to keep variety on 
their table. 

When the meal had been finished the fellow 
pulled out a highly-scented black pipe, and 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 79 


loaded it with some wet tobacco that gave out a 
most terrible odor. Of course the boys could 
not say anthing just then; but they were re- 
solved that if his supply of this villainous weed 
held out, he would have to enjoy its fumes by 
himself on the outside of the shelter after this. 

It was now time they learned something about 
the rescued sailor, and accordingly both began 
to fire questions at him. He answered very 
cautiously, Maro thought, while Teddy was of 
the opinion he did not fully understand what 
they asked, which would account for the slow- 
ness of his replies, and their seeming lack of 
candor. 

Just as they had supposed, he admitted that 
he was something of a general utility man, by 
turns wrecker, sponger, turtler, and always a 
treasure-seeker. His boat had come to this re- 
gion in order to pick up a load of curios and 
shells to be disposed of at Palm Beach in Flor- 
ida, to the hordes of rich Yankee tourists fre- 
quenting that place while the cold winter held 
sway up North. 


80 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


Five besides bimself constituted tlie crew, in- 
cluding the captain, whom he called Vasco Da 
Gama, a name that struck Maro as having some 
connection with history ; and he wondered 
whether this modern knight could have posses- 
sed many of the same qualities that made the 
other famous in his day. 

Antonio gave it as his opinion that perhaps 
his comrades might have been swept past the 
island at the time he was cast up on the shore ; 
but he did not believe they had been drowned. 
Perhaps he considered them too tough to be 
easily put out of the way. But one thing or 
another, he did not seem to bother his head 
much about their fate, being wholly concerned 
with regard to his own condition, and the vari- 
ous things that puzzled him with regard to the 
presence of these two greenhorns on this lone 
key of the great Caribbean Sea. 

From time to time Maro noticed him start 
and look around eagerly, and he believed the 
fellow must have a load upon his mind. In- 
deed, his appearance was the acme of mystery 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 81 


and both felt sure he must have figured in 
many a dark deed during his career. They 
wished he^ too, had taken it into his head to 
trust his fortunes to the open waters rather 
than attempt a landing on the island ; but since 
this could not be they were compelled to make 
the best of a bad bargain. At least he was a 
picturesque ruffian, and rather pleased their 
ideas of what a smuggler or pirate should be. 

But if the truth were known the fellow would 
turn out to be a very ordinary sort of cut-throat, 
a hobo or tramp of the ocean, equal to any mis- 
erable little game that promised him boodle, 
and without a shred of the honor which those 
old-time worthies used to boast, along with their 
undoubted valor in affrays of savage sword- 
thrusts and pistol shots. Of course he would 
have to take his turn doing the labors of the day, 
and while Teddy patched at his boat and Maro 
fished for their dinner, the newcomer might be 
set at various tasks of a less congenial nature. 
If he grumbled or rebelled, why, they were two 
against one, and as the original settlers on the 


82 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


island had the right to command obedience to 
their wishes. Yon remember how old Eobinson 
enforced his laws and subdued the rebellious 
Atkins and his turbulent followers. 

All the same, the coming of this fellow de- 
stroyed much of the charm that had hung over 
their experience. They could no longer sleep 
in absolute security, but one must be constantly 
on guard for fear lest the fellow be tempted to 
murder them in order to fall heir to their pos- 
sessions. They understood from the expres- 
sion on his face when the wonderful story of 
their being cast on the island was being nar- 
rated, that he took it all with a grain of allow- 
ance. Perhaps he fully believed such daring 
youths could only be in these seas with the idea 
of uncovering some fabulously rich treasure, 
upon the track of which they had been put 
through a possible bit of yellow parchment that 
had fallen into their hands. There is nearly 
always this clew to every one of the stories con- 
nected with the finding of Captain Kidd ’s spoils. 
He told them where the island was located, and 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 83 


that others lay not more than fifty miles to the 
west, which of course was welcome information 
to the young marooners. If the weather held 
fair for a couple of days they could easily reach 
one of these other islands in the patched-up 
Loon. 

It was not very pleasant to think of having 
this vagrant sleeping alongside, hut that must 
be endured for one night. On the following 
day, since their quarters were so very crowded, 
he must construct some means of shelter for 
himself. How easy it was to plan ! and yet in a 
wink of the eye the best laid schemes of men 
have been tumbled to the earth by circumstances 
of which they had rested in ignorance. It hap- 
pened with the boys, and the shock was deadly 
cruel, since they had no warning of its approach. 

While they sat steaming their garments be- 
fore the blaze, and putting such questions as oc- 
curred to them to the rescued man, Teddy ^s 
quick ears caught the plain and unmistakable 
sound of voices outside. Antonio also heard 
the same, for he instantly sprang to his feet, an 


84 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


expression on his face that looked for all the 
world like fear. 

‘‘Yon say yon alone on dis key; then it be de 
captain and the rest of de crew. Look yon ont ; 
bad men all dem I tell yon, boys. S’pose you 
not say yon see me; they pT’aps kill me if they 
find. I crawl out dis way den, yon see,’’ and 
to the utter astonishment of the two lads he 
suited the action to his words, actually wrig- 
gling like a snake under the side of the shelter 
at a place where his quick eye had noticed a 
space inviting his attention. 

This certainly smacked of mystery. What 
could Antonio have done to make him dread the 
others? At any rate, he had seen fit in his 
Conch language to warn tnem; and if the bal- 
ance of the shipwrecked crew proved to be any 
more formidable looking than the same Antonio 
it certainly was up to the boys to be on their 
guard. They had little opportunity to exchange 
words with regard to the strange antics of An- 
tonio, for the voices came closer to the rude 
door, which immediately was pulled roughly 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 85 


open, and a string of men pushed into the in- 
terior. 

At the sight our boys felt their hearts grow 
cold with a sudden dread, for if appearance 
went for anything these fellows must be as 
tough representatives of the West Indies as one 
could find in a month’s tour of the various is- 
lands. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


DA GAMA, THE SPONGER. 

One of the spongers was a black Senegam- 
hian, another appeared to he a graceless Conch, 
dropping his just as freely as might a 

Cockney in old London, while the balance un- 
doubtedly had Spanish blood in their veins, to 
judge from their swarthy skins. 

Taken as a whole, they made a fine stage ap- 
pearance, and under other conditions Maro 
might have hailed their coming on the scene 
with more or less enthusiasm, as something to 
break the monotony of their existence on the 
lone isle ; but when he considered how complete- 
ly himself and companion must be in the power 
of these unscrupulous-looking rascals, he be- 
lieved he would much sooner put up with their 
room than their company. However, it was not 
86 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 87 


their pleasure to say whether the five newcomers 
should stay or depart hence. Teddy saw trouble 
in store, and it required considerable gritting of 
his teeth to keep his fears in subjection. 

It was an easy task to pick out the valorous 
Vasco Da Gama, as spoken of by Antonio, for 
he towered head and shoulders above all his 
companions, who were unusually squatty in 
build. Moreover, he swaggered and walked, 
after the manner of a petty despot. The men 
began to sniff the atmosphere eagerly. Evi- 
dently the fumes of coffee had an irresistible 
attraction for each and every one of the quin- 
tette. Perhaps it was not every day they 
feasted on such a royal drink, and to come 
across it in this unexpected quarter aroused 
their liveliest hopes. 

Teddy mentally groaned, seeing the finish of 
their slender stock. He was something of a 
philosopher, however, and knew how to make 
the best of a bad bargain. If the thing had to 
be, why cry over it, when there was an abund- 
ance of coffee in the wide world, if they could 


88 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


only get to it. Accordingly, he greeted the new- 
comers heartily, and said he was delighted to 
see they had cheated old Davy J ones out of his 
expected prey, all of which the others took with 
a grin, and while one began to poke at the fire, 
another took up the coffee-pot and began to 
shake it significantly, as if to gently hint that 
their longings ran that way. 

Teddy was eqnal to the occasion, and taking 
the pot dumped half of their stock of precious 
coffee into it, filled it up from the water can, 
and set it on the fire. 

Maro also showed his hospitality, for he too, 
grasped the situation, and knew how they must 
presently find themselves at the mercy of these 
rough fellows, so that an early good impression 
was worth something to them. 

The absence of any spring of fresh water on 
the island had in the start appalled the boys, 
and they feared lest they might suffer all man- 
ner of tortures from lack of the same. A can 
had come ashore in the remains of the Loon 
which held several gallons, but this would have 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 89 


been soon finished and their outlook as serious 
as before, had not Maro, knowing a thing or 
two from his association with sailors who had 
sutfered all the horrors of shipwreck, set to work 
digging in certain parts of the island, with the 
result that they actually discovered a spring. 
True, the water had a decidedly brackish taste, 
but by boiling the same and allowing it to cool, 
they found it palatable enough for those who 
should not be choosers. 

By degrees, as they devoured the meal set be- 
fore them, quaffing huge draughts of the clear 
coffee which Teddy, as an experienced camp 
cook, knew how to concoct, the men became more 
familiar, and, asking questions which our boys 
could not avoid answering, they learned the 
facts with regard to the presence of the couple. 
They, too, seemed to have more or less sus- 
picion with regard to the truth of the story, 
just as Antonio had done. Indeed, it looked as 
though the spirit of treasure-seeking possessed 
every living being in this sea, the name of which 
has ever been linked with the bold deeds of these 


90 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


old-time buccaneers, and that it was hard to be- 
lieve any person would come to one of these lone 
islands unless possessed of some expectation of 
locating hidden spoils. It might come hard 
convincing these chaps that buried gold was the 
last thing either of them had in mind. 

The men showed a little consideration in pro- 
posing to sleep outside on this night; but Maro 
felt sure this spirit would not last, and in a short 
time they might find themselves waiting on the 
set as servants to their lords and masters. 

Oh, if the boat had only been in a condition 
for use, how eagerly would they have stolen 
away while the night lasted, and left the sponger 
crowd to their late possessions ! But alas ! even 
this prospect was barred by the incomplete con- 
dition of the Loon. 

It may be readily understood that our boys 
found little sleep on this night, with such a 
dreary prospect staring them in the face. Ap- 
parently there may be worse things than merely 
being shipwrecked. Troubles find a fellow out 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 91 


on a lone island as well as at home in the midst 
of plenty. 

They talked in whispers half of the night and 
tried to agree on some plan of action whereby 
their condition might he improved; hut their 
hearts were heavy, for at times the rough voices 
outside were raised in oaths, and they could 
easily see what was apt to hefall them on the 
slightest pretext, from such rough characters, 
with no law or authority to intimidate them. 

Luckily the shotgun had been out of sight at 
the time the five men crowded into the shelter, 
and after much consultation it was agreed that 
if such a thing could be accomplished the weapon 
had better be hidden entirely, so that in case 
their condition at any time reached a desperate 
pass they might at least have one means of de- 
fending themselves. 

How to accomplish this was the question. 
Suspicious as the men were, if any one caught 
them stealing off it would naturally be sup- 
posed that they had some treasure secreted on 
the island, and once let that idea get into their 


92 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


heads, torture would be resorted to in order to 
force a confession. Teddy solved the puzzle. 
When all was quiet without, save an occasional 
stertorous snore that told of deep slumber, he 
took the gun, together with what ammunition 
they possessed, and crawlel out from the back 
of the hut. The men were lying in front, as 
that place offered better advantages for resting 
in fair comfort; and if he could only succeed in 
copying the tactics of the Indian guides with 
whom he had hunted moose up in his native 
Canada, all might be well. 

The lad deserved credit for the manner of 
his departure; and Maro, who watched the re- 
cumbent forms as seen in the moonlight, holding 
his very breath in suspense, was gratified to see 
that not a man of the lot so much as sat up to 
listen. In half an hour Teddy came back with 
just as much care as had marked his departure ; 
but Maro, watching, saw the captain raise his 
frowzy head as though he might be listening, 
and he did not feel quite so confident as before 
that no suspicions had been aroused. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 93 


With the coming of morning trouble began 
right away. A demand was made for break- 
fast, and the very last of the coffee went as a 
sacrifice to satisfy the longing of the sponger 
crew; and sad to relate, those worthies so far 
forgot their breeding that not one of them 
thought it worth while to offer the hosts a taste 
of the ambrosia, so that they were compelled to 
drink water with their breakfast. And now 
ever^mne was on the same footing so far as cof- 
fee was concerned, since the canister was quite 
empty. 

The men manifested no great desire to do 
anything looking to their getting away from the 
island. So long as there did not appear to be 
grave danger of starvation, which could hardly 
come upon them with their two active cubs to 
procure provisions from the sea larder, they did 
not mean to exert themselves any more than 
might be absolutely necessary. Sooner or later 
a vessel would heave in sight, upon which they 
could embark. 

Meanwhile, each day would be like its pred- 


94 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


ecessor, and meant so much idling around. If 
that were all, our boys would not have com- 
plained, since they had a decided penchant for 
fishing, and Teddy did not hesitate to show his 
ability as a chef; though it did gall him some 
to see those lazy rascals lying around giving or- 
ders as to just how they liked their fish done. 

He put in as much time as he could pottering 
away on the boat, and tried to arrange matters 
so that while it would seem as though consider- 
able work might remain to he done, in reality 
the boat would he in condition for service. It 
was his belief that sooner or later if the worst 
came he and his chum would be compelled to 
slip away in the dead of night, taking all the 
desperate chances of finding themselves adrift 
on the great and treacherous Caribbean with lit- 
tle or no preparation for the cruise. 

What puzzled them during that first day was 
in connection with the fellow whom they knew 
as Antonio. Why, he had vanished as com- 
pletely as though he had cast himself into the 
sea ; and yet neither of them were of the opinion 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 95 


that he would do so foolhardy a thing. There 
seemed so slender a chance for hiding on the 
island that it was almost incredible to imagine 
a fellow could remain out of sight during a 
whole day, with those five men roaming over 
every foot of land comprised in their dominion, 
and hounded on all sides by the sea. 

It was Teddy who solved the question. That 
night he chanced to he awake when he was filled 
with curiosity and concern to realize that some 
one had crept into the shelter about in the same 
manner as he had gone out when bent on hiding 
the precious firearm. He was unable to see the 
party, hut knew of his presence, and could hear 
him prowling around a certain quarter where 
the provisions were kept in stock. 

His belief at the time was that one of the ras- 
cals had conceived the idea that there were 
valuables hidden among the culinary utensils, 
and had taken this opportunity for making an 
investigation, unbeknown to his companions. 
Teddy made no move, and finally the fellow de- 
parted in the same stealthy manner as he had 


96 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


come; but in the morning the lad noticed some 
of the hardtack on the ground, and it flashed 
over his mind that after all it had been Antonio 
who was the ghostly night visitor, and that the 
fellow had been rummaging after food, being 
desperately hungry after his fast of a day. 

This made Teddy more curious than ever 
with regard to where his hiding-place might be. 
While he worked at the boat that morning he 
was puzzling his mind over the question, and 
wondering if there could be some manner of a 
cave on the island, the presence of which An- 
tonio had located, when he received a pointer 
from an unexpected quarter. 


CHAPTER IX. 

MODERN BUCCANEERS OF THE CARIBBEAN. 

Twice during the last ten minutes had Teddy 
felt some trifling thing strike him, hut being so 
busy in mind and body he had paid but little at- 
tention to the fact; when, however, he received 
another tap as though something had fallen on 
his head from above, he was constrained to raise 
his eyes. A palmetto tree, young, vigorous and 
with a bushy top, towered above him, and some 
slight movement caught his attention. His first 
thought was ridiculous, for he wondered if, after 
all, the island could be inhabited by monkeys, 
and that one of the tribe was even now amusing 
himself by peppering the worker below. Al- 
most immediately Teddy realized the absurdity 
of such a solution, and then something like the 
truth began to dawn upon his mind. 

97 


98 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


It was Antonio, who with the agility of a 
sailor had found little difficulty in scaling the 
palmetto, his hare feet acting fairly well in lieu 
of the customary spurs used by linemen in the 
telegraph service. And snugly he had lain hid- 
den in the midst of that crown of foliage, while 
the hot sun had fairly blistered his flesh. Truly 
he must have good reason for fearing the cap- 
tain and crew of the wrecked sponger, to take 
such trouble in order to avoid a meeting with 
them. 

‘‘Hello, aloft there! whaUs the newsU^ sang 
out Teddy ; whereupon the hunch of leaves 
parted to disclose Antonio’s anxious face, as 
he made eager gestures as though begging the 
lad not to betray him. Perhaps it was a serious 
matter after all, and Teddy did not wish to see 
the fellow murdered in cold blood. Besides, if 
it came to open rupture, and the occupants of 
the sand-key took sides, it might be to their ad- 
vantage to have Antonio assist in keeping the 
others in subjection. So he toned down his 
voice and held a little conversation with the 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 99 


fellow in the treetop, whereby certain arrange- 
ments were discussed, and a code of signals 
agreed upon, by means of which they could com- 
municate without exciting the suspicions of the 
spongers. 

Antonio reiterated his declaration that the 
captain was a bad man, who had been guilty of 
many crimes in the past, and would not hesi- 
tate at anything in order to carry out a whim. 
This was rather distressing information to 
Teddy, who hoped sincerely that the ogre might 
not take a sudden fancy to maltreat Maro or 
himself. 

Antonio professed to he fairly comfortable 
in his airy perch, and at any rate declared it 
much preferable to being on the ground, at the 
mercy of the men he had reason to fear. He 
made no mention of the cause of the enmity be- 
tween them, nor was Teddy at all curious to 
know, since of the two he much preferred An- 
tonio, though at one time he had thought that 
worthy a tough proposition indeed. Compari- 
son, it seems, changes many of our opinions. 


100 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


Teddy made fair progress on the boat, occa- 
sionally speaking to the man above when the 
coast was clear. Once he saw the captain hov- 
ering not far away, and fearing lest something 
might have excited suspicion, perhaps the sound 
of his voice been heard, he began to troll out a 
ditty connected with a lass who loved a sailor, 
and who wandered along the beach each day 
waiting for the one who did not come, until 
finally his body drifted in at her feet, tell- 
ing the common story of shipwreck, as known 
to almost every family along the fishing coast. 
Captain De Gama sauntered off, apparently 
satisfied, and Teddy heard a low laugh above his 
head, telling that the man who hid up there had 
witnessed the whole affair and was pleased. 

Meanwhile, Maro fished with poor success. 
Something seemed to possess the denizens of 
the deep on this day, for they came most un- 
willingly to the bait, and when noon arrived 
he had hardly caught sufficient to satisfy the 
voracious appetities of the five stout chaps who 
lay around waiting for a sail to heave in sight. 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 101 


They had begun to help themselves from the 
scanty stores, and it became evident that in a 
brief time there would not be an atom of the 
same left, so that they must depend entirely on 
what was taken from the sea. The afternoon 
proved a little better, so that enough was laid in 
to do them for supper all around. 

In many ways the uncouth men were begin- 
ning to let the boys understand that on a lone 
island in the sea might made right, that educa- 
tion had its limits, and the lack of it did not 
make a man inferior in the least. In plain lan- 
guage, they began to grow abusive, and even 
vented their feelings in vile language when 
something did not exactly suit their lordly ideas 
of what was proper. Maro turned white when 
one of the ruffians first swore at him, hut he had 
had considerable experience among rough char- 
acters, and knew how at many times it paid to 
keep a close tongue, especially when nothing 
was to he gained by answering back. It would 
soon go from bad to worse, and perhaps end in 
a fight, in which the boys could hardly be ex- 


102 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


pected to hold their own, and must sutler the 
consequences. They hoped to be able to take 
French leave before matters came to this des- 
perate pass. 

As the matter of food had now begun to as- 
sume an important phase in their existence, our 
boys started out along the beach when night 
settled down, hoping to get on the track of an- 
other turtle, for during the day Teddy thought 
he had discovered traces of one having come 
ashore on the preceding night. The captain 
sneaked after them, as though loth to believe 
this could he the true reason for their issuing 
forth. They were fortunate enough to run 
across an industrious and hard-shelled settler 
about an hour after midnight, though it was 
only by great luck they managed to keep the 
crawler from entering the water with one of 
them perched on her hack and the other striving 
to prod a stick under her flippers in order to 
capsize the game. Hearing their shouts Da 
Gama appeared on the scene, showing how close- 
ly he had been following them all the while ; and 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 103 


between the trio they succeeded in reducing the 
huge monster to a state of helplessness by turn- 
ing her over and attaching a hawser to a hind 
flipper, the other end being fastened to a tree. 
The prospect of steaks and stews was now rosy 
for a day or two, and then eggs galore had been 
found, with which to make omelets that would 
tickle their appetities, weary of fish alone. 

The next day while fishing, Maro discovered 
another bonanza, in the shape of a small bed of 
luscious oysters. They were at^ched to certain 
of the coquina rocks where the sheepshead hung 
out, which of course accounted for the presence 
of that fish in hordes, since its favorite food 
consists of young bivalves, which it crushes be- 
tween its strong jaws. 

As long as these held out there was little 
danger of their starving; but the supply did 
not seem of any great proportions, and accord- 
ingly Maro said nothing about it to the others, 
lest they soon demolish the whole bed. He 
whispered the fact to Teddy, who agreed with 
him that it would be wise to keep the secret. 


104 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


By turns they could feast upon the oysters as 
necessity compelled. He groaned to think of 
what they missed in not being able to fry or 
broil the same over the fire, for nothing ap- 
pealed to his appetite with greater force than 
fat bivalves roasted in the shell. He did tell 
Antonio, however, for it began to look as though 
the wretched man up in the tree might reach the 
starvation point if a further supply of provis- 
ions were not placed within his reach soon, for 
little now remained inside the hut. 

When the boys reached their shelter after the 
capture of the turtle they found that the next 
step had been taken, and that they were as sure- 
ly dispossessed as any poor tenant of an Irish 
landlord. The spongers slept in the hut, and 
there was no room for the original owners. So 
they had to crawl away and put up with what 
they could find. 

It did not make them feel any more friendly 
toward the ungrateful fellows who could thus 
abuse the confidence of those to whom they 
owed so much; and if the occasion ever arose 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 105 


whereby the selfish quintette could he left in 
the lurch, neither Teddy nor his comrade would 
he apt to feel any qualms of conscience about 
deserting them. 

The men were growing more and more ugly 
every day, and it was easy to see that the cause 
lay in their being deprived of their customary 
tobacco and rum. They were irritable and 
ready to pick a quarrel on the slightest occasion. 
Indeed, already there had been several bloody 
encounters among themselves, and Teddy, who 
despised their whole breed, was wicked enough 
to speculate as to what a splendid thing it would 
be if they should by degrees wipe each other 
out, until there was only one left, whom they 
could easily master, with the aid of Antonio, if 
necessary. However, the pirates seemed to 
know just how far they could go without fatal 
results, and while dark threats flew around pro- 
miscuously, they stopped short of actual mur- 
der. 

It was a very unpleasant position for our boys. 


106 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


and required considerable care on tlieir part to 
avoid an open rnptnre, which, after all, was only 
delayed, since sooner or later it would be forced 
on them by some ruffianly act which could not 
be borne. 

Teddy believed he had the boat about ready 
for an emergency, if it came to the worst, though 
another spell or two would improve its condi- 
tion considerably. Together they were apply 
ing themselves to the task of laying aside a lit- 
tle stock of provisions, enough to last them for a 
day or so when the time came to launch upon 
their daring cruise. 

Da Gama had not given over his suspicious 
watching, but whether he suspected that they 
knew of buried treasure on the island, the local- 
ity of which it was his aim to discover through 
strategy, or that he had some hint of Antonio ’s 
presence in the vicinity, Teddy was at a loss to 
decide. 

Another storm swept down upon them, dur- 
ing which the boys were most miserable, being 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 107 


deprived of their cabin because the five men 
filled the hnt to its utmost capacity. 

A bright thought came to Teddy, which he 
communicated to his companion, and chasing 
through the rain to the spot where the little 
Loon lay they crept under her, finding the shel- 
ter they so much desired. It was so much better 
than they had expected, that they put up cheer- 
fully with the discomfort. Besides, thinking of 
Antonio, drenched in that tree-top, and swung 
violently to and fro with each new sweep of the 
tempest, rather made them the more contented 
with their lot. 

The next day they would have starved, the 
fish refusing to bite after the storm, only that 
to avoid trouble with the ugly men in camp 
Maro was compelled to raid the oyster bed, and 
bring in a bushel or more of the delicious hard- 
shells. There was riotous gluttony shown dur- 
ing the next hour, and by the time the lazy group 
had filled themselves the supply had gone down 
at a tremendous rate. But Teddy was enabled 


108 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


to roast his fill and feast with the rest, which 
was about the only compensation they could 
find for the destruction of the choice bed of 
oysters. 


CHAPTER X. 

DIGGING UP THE TREASUKE. 

Perhaps, had there been unlimited quantities 
of those delicious oysters, an open rupture 
might have been indefinitely postponed, for the 
spongers were quite content to feast upon such 
dainty fare ; hut as fish continued to refuse to he 
hooked, and there was a dreadful dearth of other 
victuals, blame began to be cast upon the two 
whose duty it had become to provide for the 
camp. When such unruly souls feel the pangs 
of hunger, all their evil passions seem aroused. 

Maro had kept track of the weather all day, 
for something appeared to tell him the hour of 
their deliverance must he close at hand. He 
was a little dubious as to the propriety of ven- 
turing forth on this particular night, for to his 
109 


110 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


sailor eye there appeared certain signs that 
seemed to promise rough weather inside of 
twenty-four hours, though he confessed that he 
might be mistaken, as even the best of prophets 
may be at times. 

Just before departing for the camp about 
sundown, with the' very last of the oysters that 
he could find, he chanced to glance out to sea. 
He was electrified to discover a sail. It was 
quite a distance away, and seemed to belong to 
only a small boat such as turtlers or spongers 
use in their business, but for all that it seemed 
to promise something of hope. 

It was coming straight toward the island as 
if with the intention of landing some one there. 
Maro glanced up at the signal to find to his dis- 
may that it had evidently been whipped from its 
place by the wind, and the remnant remaining 
could hardly attract attention from any passing 
ship. Night was almost upon them, at any rate, 
and it looked as if the incoming boat meant to 
draw close to shore, so that communication could 
probably be opened up later on. Of course he 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 111 


must tell the others, though for a brief time he 
was figuring on whether such a thing would he 
to his advantage or otherwise. 

As soon as he found Captain Vasco he an- 
nounced the news. The big sponger was 
pleased, as could he readily seen, whether be- 
cause of a chance to leave the island or from 
some other reason remained to he proven. 

Maro found suspicions assailing him, and 
that they were not without foundation was 
speedily proven, for, calling the others around 
him, the captain gave it as his opinion that those 
who were approaching must he coming with the 
idea of either burying or digging up some treas- 
ure. In either contingency it must he to their 
profit to remain quietly in hiding until they 
learned the truth, and then it would be time for 
them to show their hand. The boat could be 
easily captured meanwhile, so that their escape 
from the island might be made sure of at any 
rate. 

Of course our boys did not believe anything 
like this, for, not having hunted elusive treasure 


112 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


all their lives, their minds were not crammed 
with thoughts along that line. To them the ad- 
vent of the little craft was a simple thing, her 
crew being in search of shells for the curio mar- 
ket, sponges, or turtles, as the case might be; 
and chancing upon this lone islet they had de- 
termined to make a night of it ashore for a 
change. No fire was lighted, and supper con- 
sisted wholly of oysters on the half-shell. In 
like manner many a similar feast was partaken 
of by the aborigines who dwelt on these islands 
of the Caribbean Sea ages before Columbus 
ever dreamed of setting sail toward the setting 
sun in search of a shorter route to the Indies. 

From time to time a scout came in to report 
progress, and finally the news was received 
that the sloop had anchored just inside the 
jaws of land forming a fair harbor, and that a 
boat was about to be launched. 

Then Captain Vasco condescended to make a 
move. With a grunt he gained his feet and 
started in the quarter whence the lookout had 
come with his news. The boys were not slow to 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 113 


follow, being desirous of having a hand in the 
game, whatever it turned out to he. 

Now, the moon would not he up for more than 
two hours, and since no boat came ashore, it be- 
came evident they were waiting for light, not 
caring to risk their lives upon an unknown is- 
land in the dark. Which proved them to be 
cautious fellows at any rate. 

Finally in the east appeared a broadening 
light telling that the lantern of the sky was 
about to show her smiling face, and that the 
period of darkness was at an end. Nor were 
any of them sorry, so great was the strain. And 
now a boat was seen coming ash^ore, in which 
several persons were seated, and of course the 
spongers found in this a cause for more or less 
excitement, believing as they did that fortune 
was about to blow rich things their way. 

Our boys, meanwhile, had bigger fish to fry. 
They had taken advantage of the others ’ atten- 
tion being wholly concerned with the advancing 
boat, and had proceeded to that part of the is- 
land where the Loon lay. 


114 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


Maro unearthed the gun from its hiding 
place, while Teddy gave the signal for Antonio 
to descend from his uncomfortable perch, which 
the fellow did eagerly enough. They had dis- 
covered from various talks between the men that 
this same Antonio had struck the captain in a 
fit of passion, and the others had vowed to take 
his life for the insult. The coming of the storm 
had brought matters to a halt, for Da Gama was 
a man of deep hatred and doubtless he had not 
forgiven the Portuguese, thought he believed 
him under the sea. The hoys could excuse this 
dread on the part of the Portuguese, after they 
had seen the captain in a rage, for he certainly 
did present an appearance to make any one 
shudder. Everything was hastily done looking 
to a sudden departure, and then sober second 
thought made them pause. 

The undertaking was so filled with danger 
that while a single hope remained they hesitated 
to embark. Perhaps it would be better to wait 
and ascertain who these newcomers were ; there 
might be a chance to sail away on the sloop, 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 115 


which, although a small boat for these treacher- 
ous waters, was at least far better fitted to cope 
with storms than the single-handed cedar 
cruiser, made only for inland sailing. 

Accordingly, they left Antonio to watch be- 
side the Loon while they crept around to the 
other side of the island to see what might be tak- 
ing place there. Things were growing interest- 
ing, it seemed. 

Upon landing, the little party had picked up 
some object and moved along the beach. They 
were led by a tall fellow who, as seen in the 
moonlight, made Maro think of Hamlet as he 
had seen that character played on the stage. 
He had an idea that Da Gama knew this leader ; 
at any rate the captain and his men evinced the 
liveliest interest in what was going on, though 
they kept a safe distance away so as not to 
bring about discovery. And the movements of 
the newcomers were certainly erratic and mys- 
terious enough to excile curiosity. 

Having arrived at a certain place upon the 
beach they held a consultation, and while only a 


116 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


part of what they said reached the eager ears 
of those crouching by, enough was picked up to 
give them cause for congratulation. Presently 
they began to measure with a tape-line, as 
though desirous of locating a particular spot, 
according to some directions which the leader 
seemed to carry on a bit of paper, which he con- 
sulted from time to time, lighting a match in 
order to see, since the light of the moon was 
not sufficiently powerful. This looked like busi- 
ness, sure enough. These fellows had appar- 
ently gotten on the track of buried treasure, and 
the expedition was organized to recover the 
same. 

What a bit of luck for Da Gama’s crowd that 
fortune had deposited them on this sand-key at 
just the right time ! Why, they were chuckling 
in high glee while they lay there peeping over 
the sand dunes, their eyes almost popping out 
of their heads in wonder. It was a peculiar 
sight, and if those who began to dig with spades 
had only been attired in more ancient garments, 
Maro thought he might easily have imagined it 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 117 


to be Kidd and bis bold spirits paying a visit to 
the scene of their lawless labors. 

There were jnst three of the men on the 
beach. One was a squatty negro, who seemed 
to go by the name of Ham ; the second, an angu- 
lar individual, evidently a native of some West 
India island, while the third, the leader, had a 
twang in his voice that influenced Teddy, who 
had had experience with the tribe, to mark him 
down as a pilgrim from the North Carolina 
coast. 

The two men with spades made the sand fly 
furiously, spurred on by the hope of a fat re- 
ward in case of success. 

Da Gama and his followers began to creep 
carefully toward the spot, and while they did 
not take so much pains to keep their bodies con- 
cealed as before, no one noticed them, all being 
too much occupied in keeping tab with the work 
as it progressed. One of the diggers struck 
some hard object with his spade, and of course 
this significant incident brought out a round of 
delighted exclamations from the trio. Even Da 


118 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


Gama grunted his approval, but the wash of the 
waves on the beach prevented those who worked 
from realizing that others were near by, just as 
much interested as themselves in the results of 
the raid. 

Even the hoys admitted feeling more or less 
enthusiasm as the situation began to reach the 
critical stage ; and who would not with such con- 
ditions prevailing, a chest of treasure being dug 
up, which doubtless had lain in its snug hiding- 
place these centuries. 

Maro, however, could not but wonder at the 
shallowness of the cache, and how it came that 
one of those terrible hurricanes had failed to 
wash the said chest from so insecure a hiding- 
place. He saw the man who directed operations 
bend suddenly down and seize hold of some- 
thing, which, with a toss, he landed upon the 
sand. It was a box of some sort. 

While the distance and the deceptive light 
prevented Maro from seeing as well as he would 
have liked, still he was positive that there was 
nothing about this thing to remind one of those 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 119 


strong, iron-bound chests so often described in 
fiction as relics of the good old days when 
pirates abounded in these favorite waters. But 
then, perhaps this might represent the spoils of 
some modern buccaneer, some unfaithful cashier 
who had fled with all the capital of a bank, a 
second Boss Tweed, it might even be, and who 
was content to hide his plunder in a common, 
every-day soap-box. 

Evidently the time had come when Da Gama 
thought he had better put in a claim for the dis- 
covery. He boldly advanced, accompanied by 
his followers, and the boys, influenced by curi- 
osity, also walked forward. 

The man with the nasal twang appeared to 
be almost beside himself with delight. His 
dreams were coming true, and now all that re- 
mained to be done was to open the chest and di- 
vide the plunder. 

‘‘Wharfs that ’ere hatchet? Let’s rip off 
the lid and feast our eyes on them sparklers. 
Don’t forgit our compact— to divide among 


120 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


three, and me to git three shares because I got 
on the track of the thing. 

‘^And whar do we come in, Captain Bravo T’ 
demanded Da Gama, as he led his contingent 
before the astonished diggers. 


CHAPTER XL 

‘‘good-by,’^ and ^‘how-d^ye-doT’ 

The sudden appearance of these newcomers 
on the scene gave Bravo and his two assistants 
a severe shock, if one could judge from the man- 
ner in which they started back, and the exclama- 
tions of dismay that burst from their lips. 

When, after infinite longing and much hard 
labor, men have reached the goal of their fond- 
est hopes, it comes hard to hear a rough voice 
demanding a share in the spoils. And, natur- 
ally enough, Bravo was not inclined to share 
his find with these impudent interlopers who had 
not assumed any of the burdens attending its 
unearthing. 

^^What in thunder air you a-doin’ here. Da 
Gama?’^ he exclaimed, as the first natural re- 
sult of his shock, and at the same time Teddy 
121 


122 


YOUNG. CASTAWAYS 


saw him push in front of the box, as though en- 
deavoring to hide the same from view. 

''Same as you— I’m after that pot of gold, 
and, what’s more, we mean to have it, no mat- 
ter what ye say,” declared the other whom a 
superiority in the point of numbers made hold. 
They were five to three, even without the hoys. 

Bravo thought not, and he said as much, 
coupling his words with certain strong expres- 
sions which he doubtless believed added to the 
force of his argument. He might he willing to 
divide the find on reasonable grounds, but it was 
his discovery, and he stood ready to fight for it 
if need he. 

Hot words began to fly back and forth. Evi- 
dently, the strip of sand was about to witness 
a little affair pretty much on the same order of 
those entertainments which have made the name 
of Kilkenny famous. 

Bravo, made reckless by the thought of being 
actually robbed of his legitimate spoils by the 
coming of these fellows, struck the first blow, 
and with such good will that he knocked one of 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 123 


the other side, head over heels. Of course that 
precipitated matters, and there was a confused 
jumble of flying arms and legs as the parties be- 
came interlocked. 

Our boys hardly knew what to do. Most cer- 
tainly they would not lend a hand to help Da 
Gama’s crowd overcome the strangers, nor did 
they feel like risking broken heads in taking up 
cudgels against the followers of the big ruffian 
who had lorded it over them for some time as 
ruler of the key. So they stood still and looked 
on while the men gouged each other pugna- 
ciously, like so many beasts, all the while grunt- 
ing and saying various things concerning each 
other which it would hardly be polite to repeat. 

Five against three proved too great odds, and 
while the man from the North Carolina coast 
fought long and gallantly, he was outclassed by 
the giant Spaniard, who at last managed to trip 
him up, and coolly sat down on his prostrate 
body. This seemed to be the recognized signal 
that the game was over, according to the ethics 
of the prize-ring; for the other two chaps be- 


124 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


gan to bellow for quarter, and threw themselves 
also on the sand, thus inviting some of their 
lusty assailants to a soft seat. 

When the participants in the battle had in a 
measure recovered their breath. Da Gama de- 
manded that the man upon whom he sat should 
own up beat and promise not to continue the 
struggle if allowed to regain his feet; to con- 
sider himself a prisoner, as it were, without the 
bonds; all of which he agreed to uncondition- 
ally. Then the subdued trio were allowed to 
get up. 

They looked very morose, as who would not 
after having had such a glorious prize snatched 
out of their very hands. 

Da Gama picked up the hatchet. Victors and 
vanquished gathered around the box, eager to 
discover what manner of treasure lay hidden 
beneath that cover. With a vim the captain 
descended upon it, ripping the lid off with one 
fell swoop of his tool. Then there was a groan 
and cries of wonder. Da Gama gnashed his 
teeth, while Bravo had the nerve to actually 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 125 


grin, as thongli the galling stings of defeat were 
considerably lessened by the realization that if 
he did not get anything ont of the game there 
were others in the same boat. For the affair 
was a huge sell. 

Some one had played a trick on the confiding 
Bravo, knowing how wild he had always been to 
discover a treasure, and happy to accommodate 
him. The soap-box contained the body of a 
dog, perhaps once a pet on hoard a yacht cruis- 
ing in these waters, and which had been duly 
buried. The wonderful figures on paper had 
been arranged in order to lend the proper 
amount of mystery to the game. And poor 
Bravo had organized this expedition for noth- 
ing. But he could at least remember the deli- 
cious sensations that swelled his heart as the box 
first came into view. It was worth something 
to have had such an experience. 

Da Gama was the maddest of the whole lot. 
He seemed to think the joke entirely on him, and 
that in some manner he had been cheated out of 
his lawful prize by the other. 


126 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


Bravo incautiously laughed out loud, and that 
was the last straw on the camePs hack, for, turn- 
ing upon him, the Spaniard proceeded to bom- 
bard the wretched coast sailor some more. It re- 
sulted in the three men being tied together like 
a lot of immigrants fresh in from the other side, 
and afraid of being lost. What would happen 
next? 

There was the little sloop anchored just off 
the shore. Could it possibly hold the entire 
party, or would the vindictive Da Gama carry 
his revenge so far as to sail away with his little 
hand, leaving the others prisoners there? He 
was capable of doing such a thing as a means 
of getting even with Bravo, who he felt had 
taken advantage of him. It was, of course, 
quite unreasonable in the Spaniard, but then 
who ever knew a furious and disappointed man 
to listen to reason? 

When they saw the five men head toward the 
boat that was drawn up on the beach, the boys 
knew what they intended doing. Their first 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 127 


thought was to run after the others and claim 
a share in the chance to escape. 

It was not only the ugly threats of the men, 
who, turning, shook their fists at them, that 
made our young friends pause, hut several other 
things connected with their situation. In the 
first place, they had little love for the crowd of 
evil spirits ranging under Da Gama, and it 
would really be a blessing to feel that they were 
rid of their company. Then, again, it seemed 
cruel to leave Bravo and his luckless compan- 
ions bound as they were. Why, they might 
starve to death, unable to procure food while 
in this condition. Last of all was the reflection 
that they had the little Loon to fall back upon, 
and this had a strong influence in forming their 
decision, for Teddy bore the cedar craft that 
had carried him over so many hundreds of miles 
in safety considerable affection, as was only 
natural with a cruiser of long standing. 

Standing there on the strand they saw the 
five ruffians jump into the boat and pull for the 
sloop, upon the deck of which they presently ap- 


128 


YOUNd CASTAWAYS 


peared, when the anchor was raised, the sails 
hanled into place and away they went, sending 
hack taunting farewells over the water, which 
would have given our boys more or less pain 
only for the fact of the other boat close at hand. 

They now turned their attention to the writh- 
ing trio, who were so twisted up in the rope with 
which they had been bound that their supply of 
wind seemed in danger of being entirely shut 
otf . The boys soon freed them and listened to a 
tirade from Bravo, who was terribly worked up 
over the theft of his boat, representing as the 
craft did the entire savings of years at his busi- 
ness of sponging. 

He soon learned the truth concerning the 
presence of the others on the island, and calmed 
down a little when Maro told him how he would 
have Da Gama punished as a pirate when he 
reached Jamaica again. 

The situation had changed about, and instead 
of Da Gama and his vile crew our boys now 
found that they were marooned in company with 
a* man coming from their own country at least. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 129 


even though his style might not exactly suit 
their ideas of decency. Should they carry out 
their design to leave the island on that night? 
True, the cause for such action had been in part 
removed by the sudden flight of the other 
crowd; but they could not say they fancied 
Bravo very much, while those with him were a 
tough lot, to judge from appearances. Yes, it 
would probably be best to get away while the 
opportunity held out. Should these men dis- 
cover the little boat no doubt they would think 
it the part of wisdom to play the same trick Da 
Gama had carried into execution, and, seizing 
the Loon, leave the boys in the lurch. Every- 
thing on the key would be left to them, and they 
should of a surety be able to subsist somehow 
until rescued, for they were men accustomed to 
snatching a living from the warm waters that 
teemed with life. 

Surely the boys could send help when they 
found a harbor, and that would be better than 
remaining there to share the danger. Thus it 
was settled and the next part of the program 


130 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


was to slip away from the three men while they 
were examining the shelter, together with what 
it contained. 

Teddy still held the gun, which he had car- 
ried all the while, under the impression that 
possibly he might need the same ; and if the new 
settlers made any attempt to hold them he was 
determined to threaten them with the firearm, 
which would probably have decided results, 
since it invited respect. Of course none of the 
others suspected a trick, and were so taken up 
with looking over their new possessions that the 
hoys found it an easy matter to drop out of 
sight. 

Once in the open, they took to their heels and 
made all haste in the direction of the tree where 
the boat had been left. Maro thought he knew 
the place as well as he did his own name, hut 
rubbed his eyes upon discovering not a sign of 
the Loon where they had left her. 

Could he have become twisted in his bearings 
and come to the wrong quarter? He was just 
trying to make himself believe that such a thing 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 131 


must have happened, owing to the unusual state 
of excitement which surrounded them, when he 
noticed the chips on the ground, and knew this 
was the place beyond a doubt. Then where was 
the boat? 

‘‘Antonio?’’ exclaimed Maro, aloud. No an- 
swer came. 

“The rascal has fled with the Loon!^^ ex- 
claimed Teddy, almost heart-broken over his 
loss. 

It began to look that way, though the boys 
still held fast to a gleam of hope as they fol- 
lowed the trail left by the boat while being 
dragged to the beach. 

Once there, all doubt was removed, for neither 
the boat nor the swarthy sponger could be seen, 
though they looked eagerly out upon the moon- 
lit sea. Doubtless, alarmed by the sound of 
fighting, when the rival seekers after treasure 
had come to blows, Antonio, timid of heart, had 
thought discretion the better part of valor, and 
had decamped, leaving his friends, the Ameri- 
can lads, worse off than before, since they now 


132 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


had no sign of a boat, nor material with which 
to construct an outfit. With heavy hearts they 
tnmea once more to the shelter under the pal- 
mettoes, where Bravo and his fellows still poked 
around to size up their new possessions. 


CHAPTER XIL 

THE INDESTEUCTIBLE ‘ ‘ LOON. ^ ^ 

It looked as though the whole game mast be 
gone over again, and under conditions less en- 
couraging than before, since their stock of food 
was now woefully limited and the matches few 
and far between, while chances of leaving the 
desert isle appeared more slender than ever. 
Still, young blood does not long despond, and 
our hoys began to build up new hopes. It was 
just as well that they could find more or less 
comfort in the change of companions. There 
were now three instead of five, and the chances 
were Bravo would prove a vast improvement 
over the burly Spanish adventurer. 

If the impulsive Antonio had only waited to 
see what came of the duel, all might have been 
133 


134 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


well. Teddy was fain to believe the fellow, be- 
ing treacherous by nature, had always intended 
running otf from them at the first opportunity. 
He would not give him credit for the ordinary 
amount of gratitude toward those who had saved 
his wretched life. However, it was folly crying 
over spilt milk, and, making the best of a bad 
bargain, they rejoined the trio, first having con- 
cealed the shotgun in the same old place. 

Teddy and Maro took up their quarters in the 
cabin again, just as though they had never been 
forced out of the same, and thinking to save 
themselves more or less trouble they invited 
Bravo to share their shelter, which he imme- 
diately agreed to do, letting his fellows shift for 
themselves. 

Thus, in a measure, the boys had bound the 
new commander to their fortunes. He asked 
a thousand questions, it seemed, and would not 
think of trying to sleep until he had learned just 
how they chanced to come here on this lonely 
key, in company with that desperate lot of good- 
for-nothings under Ha Gama, who, Bravo de- 


MAKOONED ON A SAND-KEY 135 


dared, had he only lived in Kidd’s time would 
have been as picturesque a pirate as ever gently 
cut a throat or looted a Spanish galleon. 

About midnight quiet settled over the camp, 
save for the nasal trumpetings of the native who 
lay stretched outside on the beach, regardless of 
mosquitoes or sandflies. 

Some hours later Teddy, chancing to awaken, 
and being troubled in his mind, sauntered forth 
to walk along the beach. Perhaps he had a lin- 
gering hope that Antonio might relent and come 
back for them ; hut this died away after he had 
tramped completely around the island without 
discovering the faintest trace of boat or Portu- 
guese spongers. 

The moon hung high in the blue heavens and 
made a night long to he remembered. Teddy 
was filled with vain regrets that their splendid 
scheme had been nipped in the hud, for with 
such a gentle night breeze as held forth they 
might have sailed many miles toward the west, 
where other islands were supposed to lie. He 
had also hoped to discover another turtle, hut 


136 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


disappointment awaited him in this particular 
also, for not a living, moving thing caught his 
eye on the glistening beach, where the little 
waves crept gurgling up in winrows, only to fall 
hack after their ineffectual bombardment of the 
shore, warfare that had been going on for count- 
less ages, with little effect. So Teddy, yawn- 
ing, crawled into the shelter once more and 
snuggled down to secure further rest. It was 
hroa.d daylight when he came out again. 

Already the fellows had replenished the fire, 
and were wondering where their breakfast was 
coming from. Maro set them to work, thinking 
it wise to begin differently with this lot, and 
assume the position of leader from the start. 
He showed them where bait could he found, and 
with a line apiece they began fishing for break- 
fast. 

It is not the most satisfactory occupation in 
the world, and if the scaly denizens of the deep 
choose to act shy, one’s stomach is apt to com- 
plain. It happened, however, that one of the 
men was a skillful fisherman, and could get 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 137 


game if there was half a chance; so that pres- 
ently he landed a sheepshead that weighed all 
of three pounds, upon which Bravo pounced and 
began to prepare for the pan. This served to 
brighten things up a bit, as the odor of cookery 
always appeals to a hungry man and makes him 
see the silver lining to the clouds. 

Bravo became social over the meal, and the 
boys voted him a vast improvement over the 
grutf Dago. Maro even washed his cuts and 
bruises received during his scrap with the giant 
on the preceding night, and which might give 
trouble if not taken care of, owing to the heat 
and the prevalence of insect life on the key. 
Thus the new deal was started. 

Teddy was disconsolate without his pet craft 
to tinker with, and never came in sight of the 
ocean without sending a wistful glance across 
the waters, as though still hopeful that Antonio 
might think better of it and return. But the 
Portuguese evidently knew a good thing when 
he found it, and was plowing across the sea in 
the direction of the nearest land, making the 


138 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


little cruiser do lier level best, for a sailor can 
find himself at home on any sort of a floating 
chip. 

After all, their predictions of the preceding 
night came true, with regard to the weather, for 
about noon clouds scurried across the sky, and 
the wind increased to an ugly blow. Maro de- 
clared he would not be entirely happy if caught 
out on the open sea in such a cockle-shell of a 
boat while such a storm was apparently brew- 
ing, and becoming philosophical explained to 
his grieving companion how it might after all 
have been the very best thing in the world that 
Antonio got away with the Loon, thus removing 
the temptation from them. It might not be 
pleasant, this remaining prisoners on the sand 
key, but truly there were worse things than that 
to be endured, and one of them was a sudden 
sinking of the boat to which one’s fortunes had 
been entrusted, leaving the adventurer floating 
on the rolling billows, the sport of the storm. 

They made what preparations they could 
against the coming spell of bad weather. An- 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 139 


other fishing expedition was instituted, and 
Maro skirmished around the oyster bed, picking 
up such innocents as might have escaped his last 
scrutiny. The others secured an amount of 
fuel, though this was more difficult to find now 
that a fire had been burning almost continually 
since the first landing on the key two weeks 
previous. 

When the deluge descended they were snugly 
housed, and could afford to smile at this part of 
the thing; although the presence of the ugly 
darkey, Ham, was an objectionable element to 
Teddy, who in his Canadian home had seldom 
come in contact with negroes. It howled at 
quite a lively rate during the evening, and the 
hoys no longer envied Senor Antonio, if so be 
the slippery Portuguese still navigated the 
boundless reaches of the Caribbean in the little 
shallop of a cedar cruiser. He must he thor- 
oughly frightened by this time. Perhaps the 
boat had taken in water again, despite Teddy’s 
patching, and was floating almost level with the 
sea, with her passenger clinging to the mast in 


140 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


desperation. Yes, there were other things less 
pleasant than this huddling under the shelter on 
the sandy island. 

Their only secret now consisted of the gun 
that was hidden in the hollow heart of a pal- 
metto tree, where the rain could hardly reach it 
to cause rust ; and there they intended it should 
remain until such time as it might be needed to 
preserve their lives and liberties. 

While they sat around, trying to cook some- 
thing for supper, very naturally the conversa- 
tion was upon a familiar topic, and this the 
fashioning of logs into a sort of craft such as 
the natives use in certain parts of the world. 
Bravo declared it could be done, if the hatchet 
only held out, and announced it as his purpose 
to begin work as soon as the storm permitted, 
which declaration pleased the lads not a little, 
as it proved the mettle of the North Caro- 
linian. 

It was to be only a matter of time ere they 
quitted their island for other quarters. Bravo 
would do it, he was the man to rough-hew the 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 141 


logs into a life-raft that would bear them all up 
in the midst of the roughest weather. They 
liked this style of talk, and hacked him up in 
every possible way, promising assistance as 
needed. 

The storm lasted pretty much all of the next 
day, though changing its location radically as 
the core or center of disturbance swept past, 
heading as usual due west, where, striking the 
southern coast of Cuba, it would probably re- 
bound to the northwest and ravage the coasts 
of Florida. The boys calculated that long ere 
this Antonio must have paid the penalty for his 
rashness with his life. 

When the rain finally let up they went along 
the beach to ascertain what damage had been 
done, as well as to see if something might not 
have been cast ashore in the shape of flotsam 
which would prove of value in their housekeep- 
ing. 

Being thrown on their own resources is apt 
to make boys careful, as well as saving, and 
whenever they saw bits of wood on the beach the 


142 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


same were tossed further up on the land, so as 
to he safe from the next sweep of the tide. In 
due time when dried thoroughly it would prove 
fine in the shape of material with which to boil 
things and do general cooking. Some cocoa- 
nuts came ashore, possibly being a part of the 
cargo of a freight schooner bound with the same 
to some port of the States. These our boys 
seized upon with eagerness, and were soon en- 
gaged in drinking the liquid contents, which 
tasted simply delicious after the decidedly 
brackish water of the spring. There were also 
several logs of mahogany, washed ashore from 
the deck of a lumber vessel, and which, despite 
their value, might be made to do valiant duty 
in keeping up the fire that must burn day and 
night in order to save matches. 

Then a remarkable thing happened. Teddy 
caught hold of his friend’s sleeve and pointing 
ahead made some unintelligible sounds; but 
Maro did not need assistance in discovering 
what he wished him to see. 

Glory, it’s the Loon!^’ he exclaimed, hardly 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 143 


knowing whether he was awake or dreaming. 
There the little boat lay on the beach, jnst as 
the sea had cast her up, the old opening showing 
in her side, so that she had again been sustained 
by the air-tanks alone. 

It was simply amazing, to think of her hav- 
ing been carried back over her course by the 
storm, and then left upon the island just as 
though the contract called for such a thing. 
Never in all his experience had Maro heard of 
such a miraculous happening. Why, it looked 
as though the demon of the storm recognized 
the fact that the legitimate owner of the marvel- 
ous craft had been deserted on this bit of sand, 
hardly more than a speck in the tumbling waste 
of waters, and had taken especial pains to bring 
the boat back to where it belonged. 

Teddy ran up to the relic and handled it with 
genuine affection, examining it to see how 
severe the damage had been, and declaring he 
could repair it again with even more speed than 
before, since he had now gone through some 
experience in the business. 


144 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


And what of Antonio— had he been drowned? 
It looked that way, and there were certain 
things about the boat that puzzled Teddy. He 
pointed to a broken painter which he declared 
had not been there at the time they last saw the 
Loon; and finally he announced it to he his opin- 
ion that the sloop had probably come upon the 
smaller boat, the crew forced Antonio to come 
aboard and give an account of himself, while 
the Loon was towed behind until in the storm 
the painter had parted. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

A GIFT OF THE STORM. 

‘‘A friend in need,’’ remarked Maro, smiling 
with pleasure. 

^‘Yes, I should say badly in need of further 
repairs, which I’ll be only too glad to give. 
Why, life seems worth possessing now that I’ve 
got the Loon under my care again,” declared 
Teddy, rubbing his hand affectionately along 
the smooth surface of his pet. 

‘‘It seems as though we were fated to owe our 
escape to your boat, and it’s useless trying to 
avoid destiny ; but so long as we manage to get 
away from this miserable dot in the sea I for 
one care mighty little how it’s done. So I say, 
doubly welcome to the Loon, and long may she 
flirt her saucy nose above the briny deep. Why, 
145 


146 


YOUNG CASTAAVAYS 


I guess she’s about as hard to down as one of 
the wild birds she’s named after.” 

They hauled the boat to her former anchor- 
age, which act no doubt quite satisfied the cedar 
craft. The old place under the palmetto must 
have possessed wonderful attractions for the 
wanderer, since in making her second landing 
she had come within biscuit-toss of the location. 

So eager was Teddy to get to work that he 
would allow nothing to delay him, but hunting 
up material began once more the task of mend- 
ing the broken side. As he had said, experience 
would enable him to work with more rapidity, 
and possibly a couple of days might see the job 
completed. 

Maro felt as though he had a weight taken 
from his shoulders, and could turn his attention 
to the task of procuring food with a light heart. 

Nor was this all that the storm brought them. 
During the morning there washed up on the 
sand a box that apparently must have come 
from Some wrecked vessel, and which aroused 
their liveliest anticipations until opened, when 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 147 


to their great delight it was found to contain 
packages of rice done up in paper— that is, it 
had once been so, but the whole contents of the 
case now presented a sad jumble, having been 
soaked thoroughly in the water. Maro set to 
work trying to save a portion of the goods, 
spreading the rice out to dry in the sun, after 
thoroughly washing the grain in fresh water; 
and the result was fairly satisfactory, though in 
cooking of the same they never had to bother 
adding seasoning. 

It is wonderful what strange legacies that 
whimsical Old Ocean sometimes bestows upon 
those favored by fortune. This was a red-letter 
day all around, it appeared. The finny denizens 
of the deep were ready to lend their aid to mak- 
ing it a memorable occasion, for they showed a 
ravenous appetite, and, as Maro declared, were 
sighing for the pan, insomuch as to even snap at 
an almost bare hoOk. 

So Bravo and his companions began to be- 
lieve the island was after all not so bad a place 
upon which to be stranded, and save for the loss 


148 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


of the sloop, together with their unsuccessful 
treasure-seeking, they had little reason to 
growl. 

Maro had conceived an aversion toward the 
negro from the start. Perhaps it was the fel- 
low’s repulsive face and figure, for Ham cer- 
tainly was no beauty and might have passed 
for an imp from the lower regions in any min- 
strel show. Then again he had a habit of staring 
with his big ox-eyes, as though filled with envy, 
and a desire to appropriate everything in sight ; 
so that taken altogether, he was hardly the kind 
to impress one favorably. Perhaps in the long 
run Maro might learn something to his advan- 
tage, and that it does not always do to judge a 
man from outward appearances alone. 

As evening drew near, the New England boy 
liked to seat himself in a favorite nook and look 
out across the sea. It might be noticed that his 
gaze was always turned toward the north, show- 
ing that his thoughts reached out to the home- 
land. As for Teddy, he was of a more buoyant 
nature, and took to roaming as a duck does to 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 149 

water, so that no longings of this sort gave him 
cause for anxiety. 

The world was ^^his oyster,^’ as Teddy was 
pleased to express it in his boyish manner, 
which he intended to open as the humor seized 
him ; so that it mattered little on what part of 
the globe he found himself temporarily strand- 
ed. There would always be strange things to 
he seen for one who used his eyes. 

From his reflections Maro was aroused by 
the clamorous summons to supper, Teddy uti- 
lizing a tin-pan and a big spoon in lieu of a 
gong, and for which purpose it answered ad- 
mirably. The sun had disappeared, and already 
the afterglow was giving place to dusk, for there 
is little twilight in the Caribbean region, that 
being an attribute of more northerly quarters. 

Looking toward the camp Maro was hound to 
confess that it did have a certain picturesque 
appearance, which would no doubt haunt him 
often in times to come, when he found himself 
confined within the brick and stone walls 
of a city, engaged, it might be, in some prosaic 


150 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


work connected with an office, for he was much 
inclined to study law as a profession. The nre 
danced merrily and lighted up the figures of 
those around, making the negro look like a black 
gnome straight from the land of enchantment. 
Then the appetizing odor of fried fish was 
wafted his way, exciting his desire Tor food. 
And there was also another reason for him to 
sniff the air, an indescribable smell that, in a 
faint way, reminded him of coffee, but which he 
could not understand. 

Teddy, bent on experimenting, had tried 
to copy after some of the new-fangled substi- 
tutes for the prized berry, and roasted some of 
the rice until it was half burned, when he suc- 
ceeded in mashing the grain between the hatchet 
and something else just as hard. The beverage 
resulting from this triumph of genius was 
muddy and extremely villainous, but, situated 
as they were, with Hobson’s choice confront- 
ing them, they considered that the chef de- 
served their thanks for extracting even- this 
aroma from the unpromising situation. 





“GLORY! IT’S THE LOON." 
(Page 142.) 









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MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 151 


When fellows are determined to look on the 
bright side of things, it is astonishing how little 
it takes to make them langh and feel good- 
natured; and there was much merriment over 
that supper of fried fish and rice coffee. 

Bravo told how his folks often made a bev- 
erage from beans, wheat and rye, first browned 
in the oven and then ground. He declared they 
had learned to like this concoction during the 
war, when coffee was an unknown article in the 
entire South. Bravo was certainly a unique 
character and he rattled off many of his experi- 
ences during a lifetime along the coast from 
Norfolk down to Key West. Many of his ad- 
ventures were humorous, and afforded our lads 
a hearty laugh, while others bordered on the 
mysterious, Bravo being, as it were, a believer 
in the supernatural. 

Teddy showed a trifle of uneasiness at times, 
and his companion wondered what was worry- 
ing him; so while they sat together that even- 
ing, watching the stars that studded the azure 
sky, he demanded that the Canadian confide in 


152 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


him. Perhaps he had an indefinite suspicion 
that Teddy, too, disliked the black, and sus- 
pected him of treachery. 

To his surprise it was no such thing, and he 
found himself able to laugh at the fears ex- 
pressed, they seemed so shadowy and without 
any foundation to him. Teddy declared their 
island seemed to have a peculiar attraction, a 
sort of magnetic power to bring all things that 
way. They had in the first place been thrown 
upon its hospitable shores, then came the spong- 
ers’ vessel with Da Gama and his men, after 
which the sloop in search of gold showed up, 
and now last but far from least, their wonderful 
little cruiser had returned after a voyage of 
many miles. This being the case, Teddy found 
himself wondering whether sooner or later Da 
Gama and his rough followers might not drift 
back also, since it seemed next to impossible for 
anything to get away for good. 

Of course Maro soon laughed the idea to 
scorn, declaring that it was beyond all reason, 
and the chances were they might never set eyes 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 153 


on that crowd again. Although they had known 
each other only a few weeks, it seemed to the 
boys as though they must have always been ac- 
quainted, and no matter what the future had in 
store, it was certain that they would see much 
of each other from time to time. 

That night was a peaceful one. The wind 
only blew gently and the waves lapped the shore. 
Quite in contrast to the previous one when the 
storm-king reigned, and it was difficult to sleep 
at all, what with the noises without, and the 
crowded condition of the shelter. 

So ambitious was Teddy that, at peep of 
dawn, he stirred himself, and leaving Ham to' 
cook breakfast, which he seemed capable of do- 
ing after his kind, the boy started to work on his 
boat, which had the greatest possible fascin- 
ation for him. Maro was bent on exploring a 
certain reef which he had reason to believe might 
harbor a brood of fat bivalves. He had made a 
rude raft from several spare spars, which he 
paddled about on, there being little difficulty in 


154 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


getting around so long as the sea was fairly calm 
and the wind kept qniet. 

A glad shout attested some sort of a discov- 
ery, and presently Teddy saw him working 
away like a Trojan endeavoring to spear the 
trophies he could see down some six feet or so 
below the surface. It proved slow work, with- 
out some sort of tongs, and so coming ashore 
Maro proceeded to manufacture the apparatus 
needed to encompass a general capture of the 
shell-fish. This consumed pretty much all the 
morning, hut it was worth while, for when he 
fairly got to work they had a royal feast spread 
before them. 

He had come ashore with two loads, and, not 
satisfied, since the conditions might not be so 
favorable another day, had gone out again to 
rake up a third. While busily engaged in his 
labor he felt something strike his little float a 
severe blow. Indeed, he came near being pitched 
into the water, and only saved himself by a 
supreme effort. 

Filled with wonder and consternation he 


MABOONED ON A SAND-KEY 155 


looked around, but nothing was in sight either 
on the sea or in the air, to which the shock could 
he ascribed. A movement beneath the surface 
drew his attention, and to his surprise as well 
as horror he looked into wicked eyes that seemed 
to glow with a fiendish desire to do him evil. 

It was a shark, a monstrous fellow of the man- 
eating species, and Maro was always ready to 
declare it was his full belief the rascal had taken 
advantage of his occupation and bumped into 
the raft, with the intention of dumping him over, 
when he would be an easy mark for those cruel 
teeth that gleamed in such white and serried 
rows between those strong jaws. 


CHAPTEE XIV. 


GOOD-BY TO DICKENS^ ISLAND. 

Filled with indignation at having been made 
the victim of such a scare, Maro thrust his pad- 
dle at the big shark, intending to prod him in 
the eye as a gentle hint to mind his own busi- 
ness, and not come prowling around where he 
was not wanted. To his utter astonishment the 
end of the paddle was seized between the jaws 
of the fish, and if he had not hastily let go he 
must have taken a plunge overboard. 

This was beginning to look serious indeed. 
Why, that miserable old shark must mean busi- 
ness. Maro’s shout attracted the attention of 
Teddy, who came running to the edge of the 
water to ascertain what was up. 

When he learned the facts he saw that it was 
apt to prove a bad business, should the shark 
156 


MAKOONED ON A SAND-KEY 157 


be cunning enough to upset the little raft by en- 
ergetic means. ^‘Keep as still as you can, and 
don ’t excite him any more ! ^ ’ he called out, run- 
ning off. 

Presently Teddy came back with the gun in' 
his hands. The others had also heard the noise, 
and were on the run for the scene, wondering 
what had happened. 

Teddy called to them, and pointed to the 
Loon, Apparently his repairs had reached a 
stage that admitted of the boat being launched, 
and this was just what he wished the men to set 
about doing. 

Maro had enough to do taking care of himself, 
for the ravenous fish was butting hard against 
the raft, as though bent on destroying the buoy 
that seemed to keep his intended prey away 
from his teeth ; and each time his head came in 
contact with the light spars there was a shock 
that staggered the lad crouching there in alarm. 

Eeally, Maro could be excused for feeling 
something akin to genuine terror as he contem- 
plated those rows of glistening teeth so anxious 


158 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


to tear him limb from limb. Wbat made it worse 
was bis utter helplessness. Could be have only 
had some means of fighting this persistent en- 
emy, be would have felt better able to stand the 
situation. As it was, all he could do was to 
cling there and pray that Teddy would not ar- 
rive too late. The raft had not been made to 
withstand such rude assaults, and Maro was 
afraid that at any minute its fastenings might 
part, thus hastening the catastrophe. 

Teddy had leaped into the cedar boat, while 
Bravo followed him with a pole, intending to 
act the part of propeller. They were coming 
with the utmost speed, and yet to Maro it seemed 
as though the Loon hardly moved, such was the 
state of his nerves. 

Fortune was good to the imperiled lad, how- 
ever, and despite the repeated shocks from the 
piratical fish the raft still held together until 
the others came. 

Teddy had inserted a couple of buckshot shells 
in the gun, some of which he always made it a 
practice to carry on his various expeditions. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 159 


and which had been preserved along with the 
other ammunition. 

The shark turned upon the new disturber of 
its peace, and rose as if to snatch a bite out of 
the modest cruiser’s larboard streak. This was 
just the opportunity Teddy craved, and he sent 
a double load downward, firing one barrel im- 
mediately after the other. 

Meanwhile, Maro had succeeded in clamber- 
ing into the boat, which was headed for shore in 
a great hurry. Teddy had given the monster 
something to worry him, as was proved by the 
commotion in the water. 

Maro thought now he had quite enough oysters 
for one day. His ideas seemed to have changed 
radically, showing how circumstances alter 
cases. Later on the raft washed ashore, and 
an examination showed the plain marks of the 
shark’s teeth in the spars of soft pine. But the 
incident did not prevent them from thoroughly 
enjoying the grand feast of oysters in various 
ways that Teddy, assisted by his black aid, 
placed before them for dinner. Maro thought 


160 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


them well earned. And it afforded him con- 
siderable satisfaction, after the scare he had re- 
ceived, upon sauntering out at break of day, to 
discover some bulky object cast upon the shore, 
in which he was quick to recognize his enemy 
of the preceding day. 

Teddy had reason to feel proud of his marks- 
manship, for his lead had done fearful execu- 
tion about the monster’s head, despite the foot 
or so of water through which the buckshot had 
to pass. He was an object lesson, lying there 
on the sand, and Maro thought better of the fel- 
low dead than alive. 

The boat was ready for service, and all that 
remained was to settle as to their leaving the 
key. Five would crowd it somewhat, but since 
no ballast was carried the weight would not 
prove too much, if only they could avoid get- 
ting in one another ’s way. Food was what wor- 
ried them most of all, since the supply had been 
totally exhausted, save as they drew upon their 
larder, the sea. All the oysters they could carry 
were put aboard. These would keep for days, 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 161 


and save them from actual starvation in case of 
necessity. Besides, it was determined to cook 
what fish they were able, and the rice would also 
keep for a time after being boiled. 

Fresh water was another source of anxiety. 
All the canisters were filled, so that they could 
count on a supply that would last a couple of 
days, if they were careful. In this warm coun- 
try one becomes very thirsty. This is aggra- 
vated by the brackish taste of the water, while 
the very knowledge of scarcity adds to one’s 
thirst. 

That night was a busy one at the camp. They 
expected it to be the last on the key. For better 
or worse it was their intention to cut loose on 
the morrow, unless from the signs they had 
reason to believe another storm might be brew- 
ing. 

It seemed hopeless to look for the coming of 
assistance, since the weeks had crept by and only 
one sail had been sighted. The boys had en- 
joyed the experience in many ways, but at the 
same time they would be delighted to see the 


162 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


lone island vanish in the distance. Snch healthy 
young spirits cannot long he satisfied to content 
themselves within such narrow borders. The 
world is too large and possesses too many at- 
tractions. 

Neither of them slept well. Three separate 
times did Teddy, with a cruiser ^s customary anx- 
iety, creep out of the shelter in order to survey 
the starry heavens and see what the signs of 
promise were. And on the last occasion he found 
Maro standing there on the open beach also tak- 
ing an observation. But the night came to an 
end, as all things earthly must. Morning broke 
with a prospect for a hot day, but so long as this 
did not bring up a storm they cared little. 

^‘The breeze is favorable,’’ announced Teddy, 
as soon as he had appeared on the scene. It had 
come up early, and was already dimpling the 
water in a coquettish way, heading out of the 
south-by-east. 

^Wes, and we’ll have all we want before the 
day is over, if I’m a judge of signs,” remarked 
Maro. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 163 


Bravo was called upon for an opinion, and ex- 
pressed himself to the effect that if it didn’t 
storm they would probably have a fine day, 
which was about all he would commit himself to. 
So the last meal on the famous sand-key was 
soon under way. 

No more would the smoke of a camp-fire fioat 
seaward from this lone islet in the midst of the 
great Caribbean, and perhaps never again 
would fresh laughter sound along that beach, the 
scene of so many adventures in their short stay. 
All preparations were soon made, for they had 
hut a limited amount of luggage to look after. 

^^All aboard!” sang out the skipper of the 
little craft. They had made use of the raft in 
order to get their things in the Loon, which had 
been anchored near the scene of Maro’s adven- 
ture with the man-eater; and finally this last 
reminder of their Crusoe life was cast adrift. 

Then the wind caught their sail, and they be- 
gan to glide through the quiet water inside the 
jaws of land. Outside it would he rougher, 
though not a circumstance as yet to what they 


164 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


must experience when the wind came up in 
force, and the swell of the ocean was felt. 

They looked back to the little sand-key with 
more or less emotion. The smoke of their fire 
still drifted lazily over the spit at the extreme 
end of the island, and somehow it seemed to be 
reproaching Teddy for his base desertion; but 
he threw all cares aside and with his usual jolly 
good nature trolled a ditty suited to the oc- 
casion. 

Well, they were off at last. Before them 
stretched the vast and mysterious sea, on whose 
broad bosom the navies of the world had from 
time to time floated, and the history of which 
must include much that was interesting con- 
nected with the rise of the United States to a 
world power. 

All those aboard the small boat thought about 
was the chance of sighting an island where they 
might find others of their kind, and be able to 
board some vessel bound for Jamaica, or any 
place in touch with the world. Why, to hear 
those two lads talk you would imagine they must 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 165 


certainly have been marooned for a cycle of 
years instead of a few brief weeks. They spec- 
ulated as to what wonderful events had come 
about in the civilized world, and whether either 
of the great nations which they represented had 
gone to war. There was a sort of delightful un- 
certainty about thus being shut out from all 
news for a length of time ; for like all young fel- 
lows of the present day they had become accus- 
tomed to reading every day all that had trans- 
pired around the world during the preceding 
twenty-four hours. 

The boat justified all the praise which her 
proud master had ever bestowed upon her, for 
she certainly glided through the water like a 
veritable witch, and could, if necessary, beat up 
against the wind in a manner that quite took 
Maro’s sailor heart by storm; for having spent 
his life pretty much in a seaport he knew little 
or nothing of these elegant little tricks which 
boat builders along the St. Lawrence fashion 
for those who delight to knock around in lakes 
or coast lagoons, cooking and sleeping aboard. 


166 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


and able to navigate wide sound or narrow creek 
as tlie whim dictates. 

They ran before the wind during the whole 
morning. Maro has his glass, and tried to see 
how long he could distinguish any sign of the 
little sand-key ; but in an hour it had passed be- 
yond range of his vision. 

‘‘That ends it,’^ remarked Teddy, when he 
learned that Dickens^ Island had faded com- 
pletely from view. 

‘ ‘ Oh, I don T know, ’ ’ said Maro, with a malic- 
ious grin; “because, you remember everything 
comes back to that spot, and after we’ve sailed 
in a circle for a day or two, perhaps—” 

“Drop it, old fellow,” interrupted Teddy, 
hastily. “Even the best of prophets is liable 
to make a mistake some time or other. We will 
try to keep away and resist the supernatural at- 
traction by having our noses pointed toward the 
west.” 


CHAPTER XV. 

VOYAGERS ON THE CARIBBEAN. 

Thus far the wind had been favorable, and 
they believed they must have covered fully 
twenty miles since starting out. Many an 
anxious glance began to be cast heavenward, 
for well they knew how treacherous these seas 
were, especially in surprises, and while they 
hoped for a continuance of smiling skies, at the 
same time they wished to be ready for trouble 
should it crop up. 

Strange that they did not even sight a sail in 
any quarter. Bravo said again and again that 
this was very mysterious, and he appeared to 
suspect there must be a Jonah aboard, though 
he gave no hint as to whom he believed merited 
such an evil title. 

And now the breeze died completely out, so 
167 


168 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


that there was not even a ripple on the surface 
of the sea. That was had enough, seeing that it 
meant delay, and with a short stock of food on 
hand this would be apt to hit them hard; but 
there was more coming. 

^Wonder are clouds peeping over the hori- 
zon,’’ announced Teddy, who, being a fresh- 
water navigator, was unusually nervous con- 
cerning the ugly humors of the sea ; though he 
had surely shown the right spirit at the time he 
found himself swept through the inlet and out 
upon the tumultuous bosom of the stormy At- 
lantic. 

None of them felt very joyous over the ap- 
pearance of the dark masses of vapor, low down 
on the horizon. Hot as the sun seemed, they 
would willingly have borne his darts uncom- 
plainingly, rather than accept the chances of a 
squall. Twice had the stanch little craft defied 
the storm-king to do his worst, and the third 
time might finish the work. 

Bravo idly pulled at the oars, moving the boat 
gently in the direction where their goal was sit- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 169 


Tiated ; but it was more of a mechanical action on 
his part than any design to accomplish results. 
They were helpless to avoid whatever was com- 
ing, and could only prepare against the rush of 
wind and water, hoping for the best. 

It was a false alarm, for when the clouds had 
covered the heavens the rain came down in a 
deluge, so that the voyagers found it necessary 
to bale their boat out in order to keep from being 
fairly swamped ; but not a breath of gale accom- 
panied the downpour. They could hardly be- 
lieve their eyes, and impulsive Teddy, soaked to 
the skin as he was, fairly shouted his appreci- 
ation. They managed to add somewhat to their 
store of fresh water, as a result of the rain fall, 
so that instead of injuring their prospects it 
really added to their comfort. 

When the sun broke forth again a most de- 
lightful breeze sprang into existence, wafting 
them on their course, though it now came out of 
the northwest, and necessitated their running 
close-hauled. With their fears relieved they be- 
came merry once more, and before the westering 


170 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


sun sank low enough to dazzle his vision Teddy 
took a long and earnest observation with his 
glass, in the hope that somewhere in the west he 
might pick up a glimpse of land. 

But it was not so ordained. They were fated 
to pass through other experiences ere reaching 
the finis of their eventful cruise. 

That last hour of the blazing sun was very un- 
pleasant, for old Sol did his best to torture their 
flesh, after the rain, and they were ready to 
heave a sigh of genuine relief when he conde- 
scended to fall out of sight, to cross the Pacific 
and gild the temples and kiosks of the Heathen 
Chinee. 

With the coming of evening the wind also 
sank temporarily to rest, as usual, and a solemn 
hush fell upon the sea. How delightfully cool 
it became, once that scorcher of the skies had 
hied away to other fields ! They stretched them- 
selves, and the hoys even took a dip in the briny, 
though urging their companions to keep a keen 
lookout for the dorsal fin of a shark; for since 
Maro’s experience near the key both of them 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 171 


had entertained new respect for piratical mem- 
bers of the shark tribe, and had no idea of fur- 
nishing a meal for so hungry a creature. 

By eight o ^clock the breeze saw fit to start into 
life again, and coming out of a quarter that still 
favored their purpose, the little cruiser was 
pushed right along. 

That was certainly a night never to be for- 
gotten. The crowded condition of the boat pre- 
vented such comfort as might have followed 
had there been but two passengers instead of 
five. It was a hard bed too, though extreme 
weariness caused them to ignore this fact. 
Teddy had made all needful arrangements for 
comfort in planning his long cruise, and was ac- 
customed, when sleeping in the Loon, to blow 
up a rubber air mattress each night he bunked 
aboard; but during the wreck this arrangement 
had gone floating out to sea, and at any rate 
his condition at the time, with the cruiser half 
under water, would not have admitted the use 
of such luxuries. Beggars have no right to be 


172 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


choosers, and this truth is often brought home 
to those who sail small craft with limited accom- 
modations. 

They took turns at keeping watch, so that one 
always held the tiller while the others slept. 
For want of a better compass they guided their 
course by the heavenly luminaries that shone 
overhead. It was easy to pick out the Polar star, 
and one of the bright planets happened to lie 
exactly in the quarter whence the little craft was 
headed. 

When it was Teddy’s turn to steer he pulled 
his coat around him, as it had come on quite cool 
about midnight, and settled down to a long seige 
of it. The wind still held out, and the cedar boat 
went merrily through the heaving sea, the water 
gurgling along her sides in a fashion to please 
the heart of one who delighted in cruising under 
any and all conditions. He had spent many days 
and nights in that same tiny vessel, but none of 
his former experiences could compare with the 
present. That glowing heavenly body flamed in 
the western sky, and guided him straight on. 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 173 


How could lie do otherwise than think how these 
old-time worthies, the Wise Men of the East, 
were led by such a faithful fingerpost. 

Disappointment awaited them with the dawn, 
for the same monotonous line that marked the 
watery horizon stretched away in every direc- 
tion. Neither of the hoys said anything, but 
Bravo relieved himself of a choice variety of ex- 
pressions concerning their miserable luck, and 
again gave stronger hints concerning his belief 
in the Jonah theory. 

Maro, accustomed to reading character, be- 
lieved they would he apt to have trouble with the 
coast mariner, if things did not improve before 
a great while. He kept the gmn near him, and 
was grimly resolved to use it if the occasion 
demanded heroic treatment. Of course they had 
not arrived at the parting of the ways yet, and 
he sincerely hoped there would he no occasion to 
resort to such stern measures. 

Their breakfast was eaten in melancholy si- 
lence. Every one seemed to he wrapped up in 
his own thoughts. The food was divided with 


174 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


impartiality, as was right; but Teddy imagined 
he saw the greedy eyes of the black rest long- 
ingly on the share that was passed to the young 
Canadian, and this circumstance caused more 
of those suspicions to creep into his mind. He 
had read about all manner of terrible things be- 
ing done by such descendants of the cannibals 
dwelling in the heart of Africa, when face to 
face with dire necessity ; how they had naturally 
reverted to the horrible practices of their an- 
cestors; and Teddy was determined that he 
would stand up for his rights so long as he had 
breath in his body. 

The morning passed. More breeze than they 
wanted swooped down upon them and made 
things fairly hum. The spray was even snatched 
from the crests of the big waves and sent flying 
to leeward; while constant vigilance was re- 
quired in order to keep the little boat from ship- 
ping vast quantities of water. They dared show 
only a tiny bit of sail, and even then their prog- 
ress was extremely rapid. 

Ever and anon, when they crested a billow. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 175 


Teddy would cling with one arm to the slender 
hut stanch mast, while he clapped the glass to 
his eye and endeavored to make some discovery 
ahead. It was not an easy task, so that it may 
not he wondered at that he failed to discover 
land until it loomed up quite plainly. It was a 
welcome sight to one and all, for surely it gave 
promise that their trials might he ended. 

That this could prove to be hut another island 
in the tropic sea, void of human habitation, did 
not seem to occur to them at all, and yet such a 
thing was possible. As they were bearing di- 
rectly down upon the land and would he smashed 
upon the breakers unless great care was taken, 
Bravo, as the most experienced sailor on hoard, 
took the tiller. Their only safe plan would con- 
sist in making a sweep around and coming up 
to the lee of the land that jutted out like a 
crooked finger. 

Of course they rested in complete ignorance 
concerning the nature of the sea, and a thousand 
ragged rocks might be lying in their intended 
course, ready to tear the frail cedar boat into 


176 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


tatters ; bat they had no choice, and had to ac- 
cept the risk. 

It was a time of supreme anxiety. Already 
the waters around them were boiling like a vast 
caldron, and at any instant Teddy expected to 
feel the dreadful quiver that would announce 
their coming in contact with a reef. When this 
occurred there would be small chance for any of 
them to escape through that whirling, churning 
mass of water. 

Bravo held on with the tenacity of his kind, 
his teeth hard pressed together, his gray eyes 
burning with the intensity of his emotions, and 
his lantern jaws set grimly. Maro rather ad- 
mired the North Carolinian just then, he repre- 
sented such bull-dog resolution to conquer or 
die. 

It was a close shave. Once or twice the boys 
gave themselves up for lost, for it seemed as 
though nothing under a miracle could prevent 
the boat from being smashed against some reef 
that reared its ugly head beyond ; but as though 
some kind destiny had taken them in charge, they 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 177 


avoided all these perils, and finally began to find 
smoother water, showing that in some wonderful 
manner the promontory had been rounded. Once 
more had the gallant little boat proved her title 
as a champion cruiser, and Teddy’s heart swell- 
ed with pride, as well as thankfulness, for their 
escape, when he realized that the danger was a 
thing of the past. 

Not until then did they think to even take a 
glance at the shore which was close by, and 
where the cocoanuts fiaunted their feathery 
fronds in the strong breeze; and the first ob- 
servation brought out cries of chagrin from the 
voyagers, for, lo and behold, they beheld anchor- 
ed in a bight the little sloop which Da Gama 
and his men had run away with when quitting 
the sand-key ! 


CHAPTER XVI. 


CAPTAIN BEAVO LITTLE JOKE. 

Teddy and his clinm felt only dismay when 
their eyes fell upon the stolen sloop, for they re- 
alized that their troubles could not be called 
over, while such desperate ruffians as Da Gama 
and his crowd remained within reach. Thus 
storm-bound they must hobnob together until 
a chance opened to get away ; though if the boys 
knew what was good for them there would be 
little familiarity between the rival camps. 

Doubtless the sloop had put in here during 
that other storm, having been partially disabled 
and unable to continue the cruise without re- 
pairs. What a strange fate had now brought 
them together again; these rival adventurers 
whom the wide Caribbean refused to keep apart ! 

178 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 179 


If our little company was surprised to set 
eyes again on the sloop, the amazement of the 
others can be imagined when they saw the boat 
which had once been left on the sand-key, and 
later sunk in a storm, so far as they knew, come 
sweeping into the harbor, loaded with the party 
they had so coolly abandoned. 

They made a rush for the sloop and clambered 
aboard, doubtless under the impression that the 
boat would be the first object of attention on the 
part of the newcomers. Maro held on to the 
gun, fearful lest the angry Bravo might wish to 
take it and assault the enemy without even a 
parley. If he could help it there would be no 
such tragedy enacted there, while each of the 
hostile factions held a boat and could no doubt 
in due time reach a settled island. 

How the others had supported themselves 
during these days they could guess. Cocoanuts 
will preserve life, and doubtless there was much 
to be obtained from the generous sea, when men 
were not too shiftless or lazy to work for their 
daily allowance. 


180 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


One problem was solved; Antonio loomed up 
among the lot, proving that he was captured 
while afloat, just as they had surmised. He 
must have taken his medicine from the captain, 
for it appeared as though he were now hand in 
glove with the gang, and shook his fist in the di- 
rection of the late arrivals with just as much 
vigor as characterized any of the rest. 

Antonio knew no such word as gratitude. But 
then Maro was not in the least surprised, for he 
did not have a high opinion of the man, and was 
rather prejudiced against him as a Portuguese. 

The Loon was brought to anchor within a 
stone’s throw of the beach. They were all wild 
to get ashore and stretch their limbs, which 
seemed badly cramped after their long voyage 
in a small craft ; and as the only means of reach- 
ing land appeared to lie in each man’s stepping 
overboard and wading, Bravo led the way. 

Maro clung to the gun, which had already 
served him a good turn in connection with the 
shark, and might still prove valuable. 

When the Loon was thus relieved of their com- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 181 


bined weight they were able to drag the boat 
ashore and lightly beach her. None of them felt 
any confidence in that motley crowd over yon- 
der, and believed that if only half a chance of- 
fered they would steal the cruiser as well as the 
sloop, since nothing appeared too mean for their 
attempting. 

While Maro stood guard, lying at full length 
on the beach, under the grateful shade of a co- 
coanut, the others proceeded to gather some of 
the products of the tall trees, the native showing 
astonishing agility with his bare feet in climb- 
ing. The hatchet was used to chop the tough 
husk away, and ere long each one of the party 
had a half-ripe nut to his lips draining it of the 
cool liquid contents, which tasted like nectar of 
the gods, after their long deprivation. 

The fellows aboard the sloop kept watching 
them curiously. Perhaps they imagined Bravo 
would want to make an immediate assault on 
their works, and try to retake the vessel; and 
every man seemed to be armed with a cudgel of 
some sort, which he meant to use should the mat- 


182 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


ter of possession come to blows. No doubt they 
wondered also where the gun came from, and 
did not fancy the looks of it, which was prob- 
ably the main reason why they kept aloof, in- 
stead of attempting to intimidate the others, as 
on the former occasion. 

Maro intended that they should see the double- 
barrel, and he took measures to hold it in plain 
view quite frequently. The others had moved 
away to discover what sort of a place it was they 
had struck, though not intending to wander far 
off. Bravo followed a plain trail, made by the 
others, and thus came upon a spring bubbling 
out of the earth. 

It was almost impossible for them to get 
enough of that clear water, after existing so long 
on the brackish kind which the sand-key afforded 
them, and if nothing else turned up they would 
think it paid them to have found this land of 
flowing fountains. 

Teddy was mystifled to tell where the water 
could come from; but many things connected 
with these islands of the sea are equally mys- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 183 


terious. Thus do the magnificent springs of 
Florida, perhaps more than thirty yards across, 
and in a level country, hundreds of miles away 
from mountains, puzzle the scientists. 

Meanwhile, Maro lying there on the beach 
saw signs of a movement on hoard the sloop. 
He hoped the fellows might consider it the part 
of wisdom to take a speedy departure, though 
with such a violent gale of wind blowing beyond 
the point he could not believe they dared ven- 
ture forth. 

When he saw Da Gama spring ashore from 
the stern of the boat, which was anchored in a 
deep hole close to land, Maro began to believe 
he scented trouble. He cast an anxious glance 
in the direction the others had gone, and gave the 
shrill whistle which had been agreed upon as a 
signal that they were wanted immediately. Un- 
less they had wandered too far away this must 
bring them hack post-haste. 

The balance of the crowd followed their leader 
ashore. Maro did not like the looks of things. 
Six desperate ruffians, any one of whom was cap- 


184 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


able of overpowering him ; if given a cliance at 
close quarters, that seemed heavy odds and only 
for the possession of the gun he would have felt 
compelled to run away. That firearm was a 
tower of strength just then, and he felt that the 
circumstances were such as to justify any action 
he might take, no matter if in so doing he found 
himself compelled to pepper the rogues good and 
hard with the bird-shot in each barrel. 

He scrambled to his feet without delay. Al- 
ready they were advancing toward him, and he 
deemed it the part of prudence to retreat to the 
boat, which he entered, thus being able to push 
off and place the open water between himself 
and his enemies. 

Da Gama was calling out as he advanced, for 
though no coward he did not like the looks of 
the gun, even if some of his fellows vowed it 
could not possibly be loaded, and was harmless. 
Perhaps they would in due time discover how 
mistaken they were in this estimate. 

From what Maro could make out Da Gama 
wanted to have a talk over the situation. That 


MAEOONED ON A SAND KEY 185 


is, he confessed to a desire that they bury the 
hatchet and all come together for the common 
good ; but knowing the man ’s treacherous nature 
he believed his main idea was to get hold of that 
gun, which represented the element of power in 
his mind. Accordingly the New England lad 
aimed directly at the captain as he swaggered on 
to the beach. 

‘ ‘ Halt ! right there. I ^m going to shoot if you 
come any further, and it ^11 be mighty unpleasant 
for you, I give my word. Now have your little 
say. What d’ye want. Captain Da GamaT’ he 
demanded. 

‘‘What’s the use being mad? Come, let’s get 
together again, and forget all dis troubles. We 
mend de sloop, so now, when de wind she goes 
down all us can sail away. Give me dat gun, 
you Maro ! ’ ’ 

Apparently he could not resist exposing his 
principal motive in thus appealing for a cessa- 
tion of hostilities, and Maro was shrewd enough 
to see through the game. 

“We don’t want to have anything to do with 


186 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


your crowd, being able to navigate this to the 
place we are aiming for. Go your own way, and 
we’ll go ours.” 

The big Spaniard wanted to argue matters, 
and Maro noticed that he kept edging closer 
while he talked vehemently, which, he took it, 
meant that they contemplated a rush whenever 
the moment appeared propitious. So, to nip the 
thing in the bud, he took up the pole again and 
pushed the little boat out into deeper water. Da 
Gama growled in an ugly humor at being so neat- 
ly balked. 

Just then Maro made a discovery that gave 
him something of a thrill, for chancing to turn 
his eyes in the direction of the sloop, what should 
he see but several figures creeping on their 
stomachs, and evidently apprehensive of being 
discovered. His first idea was that these must 
be natives belonging to the island, and bent upon 
some deviltry; but a second look disclosed the 
fact that they were dressed in such garments as 
might be worn by the ordinary run of men to be 
met with in these regions. The truth flashed 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 187 


upon him when he made out Teddy second in the 
lot, and thus he knew it was a daring scheme on 
the part of Bravo to regain possession of his 
stolen sloop. Apparently when it came right 
down to scheming he was head and shoulders 
above the Spaniard. 

Maro entered into the game with enthusiasm, 
believing that what was fair for one should be 
just as good for the other ; and wishing to keep 
the attention of the six attracted toward him- 
self as much as possible, he began to make ex- 
travagant gestures with the gun at the same time 
belching out a stream of oratory that would have 
paved the way toward fame if delivered in the 
right place. He succeeded in a fair measure in 
holding their attention, and had the satisfaction 
of seeing the four figures clambering over the 
stern of the sloop. 

It happened however that Antonio of all men 
should turn his head and see what was going on. 
His shrill cries speedily put the rest in posses- 
sion of the facts, and the wildest scamper imag- 
inable took place, the pirates streaming over the 


188 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


beach, each one breathing out the most terrible 
threatenings as he ran. Those on board the 
sloop knew when they had a good thing, and it 
was not their intention to give it np easily. 

Evidently the business had all been arranged 
beforehand, so that every one knew just what 
he was expected to do, judging from the pre- 
cision with which they set to work, Teddy run- 
ning forward with a hatchet in his hand to cut 
loose from the anchor rope, while the rest 
snatched up poles or anything that came handy, 
and which they could make use of in urging the 
boat further from the shore. 

Taken altogether it was quite a lively time 
around that region. Maro had also snatched up 
his pole, and was urging the little boat in the di- 
rection of the other, so that he might in some 
way throw the influence of his firearm into the 
game ; for he knew the temper of those ruffians, 
and feared for the consequences should they 
manage to obtain a footing on the sloop. 

Bravo now trod his own deck, and was not the 
man to give up easily when standing up for his 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 189 


own rights, as defined by the law; and the first 
pirate who came within range received a most 
savage thrnst from a pole that sent him flat in 
the water, where he scrambled and splashed and 
shouted and swore. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


AFLOAT AND ASHOEE. 

Then the buccaneers, as Teddy delighted to 
call the rough spongers, made a combined attack 
on the sloop, and were met by a vigorous resis- 
tance from those who had regained their own. 
Maro soon saw that he could not get anyway 
near the scene of the fierce encounter in time to 
be of assistance; and fearful lest his friends 
might be overpowered decided it was his duty 
to send his compliments forward 

The gun was loaded with small bird-shot, so 
that he did not think any serious result would 
follow ; and he did burn to pay back something 
of the long score he owed those quarrelsome 
idlers, so he blazed away, aiming low, and while 
half of the leaden pellets were distributed upon 
190 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 191 


the surface of the water, the balance found lodg- 
ment among the legs of the fellows who pranced 
around like wild Indians in the little hay. They 
danced with more violence than ever when thus 
peppered, and something besides anger began to 
make itself manifest in their loud bawling. 
Maro aimed a second time as though about to re- 
peat the warm dose, seeing which they hastened 
to throw themselves flat in the water, unmindful 
of the ludicrous look of things, and only caring 
to shield their precious bodies from another can- 
nonading. Then it was easy for those aboard 
the sloop to push out of their way, which they 
proceeded to do. 

The discomfited rogues now began to crawl 
out of the water, and a most ridiculous appear- 
ance they presented to he sure. Each had 
something hitter to say to the others, believing 
himself to he blameless in the matter ; and Maro 
realized as never before how when rogues fall 
out honest men get their dues. In this case the 
sloop was the point at issue, and the odds seemed 
in favor of the original owner. 


192 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


Bravo was happy. He did not possess a 
chivalrous spirit, and thought it his duty as well 
as pleasure to chaff the defeated Da Gama un- 
mercifully, rubbing in the stings of his misad- 
venture with right good will. The latter was not 
crushed, and while he scratched vigorously at 
his stinging lower limbs, he sent back as good as 
he received. 

Our friends appeared to have the upper hand, 
and yet they were not as cheerful as they might 
be. For one thing, the memory of that cool 
spring haunted them, and when Maro heard its 
praises sung, the poor fellow almost took a fit to 
think how he had been cheated out of his refresh- 
ing drink. They would not dare put out to sea 
without an effort to fill the cans at least with 
fresh water. This Bravo vowed by the ghosts 
of his forefathers, which seemed to be the typi- 
cal manner of settling a thing, according to the 
peculiar idea of coast sailors, who, according to 
the observing Teddy, possessed many of the 
characteristics of the Chinese, from the inordi- 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 193 


nate love of tea in any shape down to their wor- 
ship of ancestors. 

It would he a risky move, going ashore in the 
dark with cans, hnt Bravo for one declared he 
was ready to attempt such a move and he soon 
found ready hackers. In fact, their recent suc- 
cess had put new spirit into the three men, and 
they considered themselves more than a match 
for the half dozen opposed to them. 

Maro doubted the wisdom of such a move, and 
secretly believed it would pay them to slip away 
as soon as the breeze moderated, taking their 
medicine in the shape of stale water like little 
men until such time as the conditions changed, 
and they could lay in a fresh supply at some way 
station, without endangering the success of the 
expedition; hut he was too wise to give these 
views an airing, knowing that hot-heads would 
take his caution for cowardice. 

The coming of evening found them in this 
same position; those on the shore had started a 
fire, and were engaged in cooking fish, the agree- 


194 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


able odor of which floated out to those prisoners 
of the sea, just as was intended by the cook. 

Da Gama now came down to the edge of the 
water, holding in his brown hand a handkerchief 
that was supposed to represent a flag of truce ; 
but the color was suspicious, to say the least, 
though it answered all right enough. 

‘‘Say, you fellers come along ashore and join 
us at supper. S’pose we all same in the boat, 
what^s the use of cutting each others’ throats. 
Plenty fish for all, and we talk about sailing 
away. Does it go?” was what he bawled as he 
held his hands up to his mouth, sailor fashion. 
Now, that appetizing odor of supper was a great 
temptation to the little company manning the 
two boats that comprised the fleet, and had 
Bravo been less intimately acquainted with the 
captain he might have weakly yielded, to his own 
undoing; but experience in the past had made 
him wise, and he understood what deception lay 
under that seeming friendly invitation from a 
fellow sailor. 

In the same polite and generous manner no 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 195 


doubt, the spider asked tbe wretched fly to step 
in and view his wonderful parlor. But it hap- 
pened that Bravo was no blue-bottle, and hence 
he told Da Gama he could keep his blessed sup- 
per, and if his language chanced to be a little 
lurid he might be forgiven, since his face still 
smarted from the blows which the big Spaniard 
had rained upon him at their last meeting. 

Bravo was not the man to easily forget or for- 
give; and he knew full well that the other was 
setting up a little game for them ; that once they 
joined the family circle they could say good-by 
to the boats, and their chances of emigrating 
hence. 

Having received such a rude rebuff the cap- 
tain retreated once more to the company of his 
men, to whom he poured out the bitterness of 
his woes, as might be judged from the way in 
which they jumped up from time to time to shake 
a fist in the direction of the fleet, riding saucily 
at anchor in the bay. 

It was hard to munch away at their frugal fare 
while that odor from the camp-fire came stealing 


196 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


to tlieir nostrils ; but the heroes are not yet all 
dead, and they endured even this trial with more 
or less philosophy, looking hopefully forward to 
the happy day when a full course dinner might 
be placed before them. So the night settled 
down. It was fated to be anything but a season 
of rest and solitude, with two such rival forces 
so nearly in touch. 

Each envied the other something. Bravo and 
his followers wanted a share of those sparkling 
spring waters that had so tickled their jaded 
taste on the afternoon; while as for Da Gama’s 
crowd, they were nearly ready to imperil their 
souls in order to regain possession of the cap- 
tured sloop; for isolation on that uninhabited 
island failed to have any attractions for them. 

Our boys found much to admire in the game 
which Bravo put up. He was a shrewd old chap, 
who had cut his eye-teeth long ago, and judging 
others from his own standpoint, made prepara- 
tions accordingly. He guessed that Da Gama 
was desperate enough to make a night attack on 
the sloop, hoping to catch a weasel asleep, and 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 197 


as the first move to defeat such a hit of strategy, 
as soon as the darkness effectually hid their 
movements, he gave orders to have the anchor- 
age of the vessel changed. They now pushed out 
further from the shore, which move was ren- 
dered possible by the fact that the atmosphere 
had become very calm, and the sea quieted down 
wonderfully with the dropping of the wind. 
The cans which they hoped to fill with water 
were all placed on the smaller craft, which was 
intended to be pushed close to the shore when 
the proper time arrived. 

The working force consisted of Bravo, Teddy 
and the negro Ham ; while Maro and the native 
Conch were left to guard the sloop against any 
possible assault. 

They could see the fire of the buccaneers 
ashore, and earlier in the evening it had been 
possible to distinguish their figures as outlined 
against such a bright background; but latterly 
they missed this part of the business, which 
would indicate that the others had either thrown 
themselves down in a disgusted frame of mind, 


198 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


to procure a portion of sleep, or else gathered in 
another quarter, bent upon some desperate er- 
rand. Bravo warned those who were left behind 
to be very careful, for he suspected trouble lay 
in prospect. 

The trio in the little cedar cruiser pushed 
through the water in the quietest way they knew 
how, so that hardly a ripple resulted from their 
passage. Bravo had been a wild-fowler for 
many years in his native Tar-Heel State, and 
was acquainted with all the various methods of 
approaching the ducks and geese frequenting 
the shallow waters along Currituck sound, so 
that if any man on earth knew how to propel a 
boat noiselessly he did. Having located the 
shore before night set in he knew just where to 
proceed, and hence valuable time was saved, as 
well as mistakes avoided. In this manner the 
expedition drew near land. 

Teddy crouching up in the bow of his pet craft, 
just as he had no doubt done on many another 
occasion, though never with the same object in 
view, tried his best to pierce the gloom that hung 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 199 


like a pall over the junction of sea and shore. 
Doubtless they would find the coast clear enough, 
and could make their landing in good order ; hut 
the trouble must arise afterward in getting the 
water aboard. 

There was always danger of the cans coming 
in contact with each other, which sound must 
of course reach the ears of those near by, and 
give warning as to the raid, so that they would 
likely have a swarm of hostiles upon them in 
quick order. Then there was the boat. It had 
been brought as close to the beach as policy 
permitted, and anchored there. This was all 
very good, but as the little waves came rolling 
in they persisted in slapping up against the bow 
and making a gurgling sound that must be in- 
stantly recognized by any one accustomed to a 
life on the water. Still, there is risk in every- 
thing, and Bravo did want that spring water the 
worst kind. He had apportioned the tins one 
to each man, for it was safer thus, and if the first 
venture brought favorable results they could do 


200 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


it again. Under cover of the darkness, there- 
fore, the three crept away. 

As Bravo knew his way thoroughly they made 
no mistake in reaching the spring where each in 
turn solemnly bent down and imbibed vast quan- 
tities of the refreshing fluid, as though it were a 
part of the ceremony to make sure of that much, 
anyway. Bravo superintended this operation, 
as master of ceremonies, and when the third and 
last tin had been attended to, each gathered up 
his individual share, with the intention of beat- 
ing a retreat to the shore, there to exchange the 
full for empty receptacles. 

It was a wretched bit of luck that sent one of 
the buccaneers to the spring just at this critical 
moment, a raging, feverish thirst being the mo- 
tive of his visit; but all the same he stumbled 
over Teddy as the Canuck lad was in the act of 
shouldering his load. 



IT WAS A SHARK. 
(Page 155.) 





CHAPTER XVIII. 

ON GUARD. 

In the darkness of night the follower of Da 
Gama could not see what manner of person it 
was with whom he came in contact; hut he was 
able to give a pretty fair guess, and knew that 
the affair called for an investigation. 

Accordingly he seized hold of Teddy and be- 
gan to shout for help, which was just the very 
thing Bravo objected to; so he flung himself 
upon the fellow and bore him headlong to the 
ground, where he immediately began to put into 
practice certain methods of argument, picked 
up in a rough-and-tumble life, and which he cal- 
culated were apt to induce the chap to keep a still 
tongue in his head. It was all over within a 
very brief space of time, and Teddy, who had 
201 


202 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


temporarily lost liis grip on the water-can, was 
induced to take a fresh start when he found that 
his tormentor no longer gave evidence of an in- 
clination to bar his way. 

The alarm had of course been given, and they 
could plainly hear the unfortunate reamer’s 
comrades plunging toward the spring, doubtless 
having guessed what was in the wind. 

Although Bravo had thus downed one of their 
number, and reduced the odds by his valor, it 
was not a part of his program to stay and invite 
a general battle. He entertained too much re- 
spect for that big Spaniard, and experienced no 
longing to again try conclusions with him, unless 
the other were handicapped in some way. Ac- 
cordingly he gave the word to his two compan- 
ions, and they put their best foot forward, hop- 
ing to reach the boat before the others came up. 
Burdened with the water cans, their progress 
could not of necessity be what they might have 
put forth otherwise; but all the same they de- 
veloped considerable abilities as sprinters, and 
managed to reach the beach in fair condition, 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 203 


tliougli somewhat winded as a result of their 
rush. 

They arrived not an instant too soon, since the 
quartet was in full pursuit, coming on with the 
speed of a whirlwind ; for it was a serious mat- 
ter that now confronted the desperadoes, since 
with a supply of water assured, those who con- 
trolled the sailing craft were apt to put to sea 
and leave them disconsolately in the lurch. 

Given a few more seconds and our friends 
would have been able to have taken their depar- 
ture with some degree of comfort ; but as it was, 
hearing their adversaries thus bearing down 
upon them, more or less confusion resulted, each 
getting in the way of his fellows. The water-cans 
were dropped into the well of the boat all right, 
and then came the scramble to follow on the 
part of the trio, during which time those who 
led the chase managed to come up. 

The giant figure in the van could belong to 
none other than Da Gama, who, suffering the 
stings of several successive defeats deemed 
aggressive tactics the better part of valor, and 


204 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


without waiting to survey the field waded right 
in, both figuratively and in reality. 

With a tremendous amount of splashing he 
threw himself upon the Loon and endeavored to 
place a mortgage upon the sailing of the little 
craft, which was of course just the very thing 
most dreaded by those who thought to manage 
the expedition. 

Of what use were poles and oars, as opposed to 
the brute strength of such a Hercules ! Captain 
Vasco had planted himself firmly there, and ap- 
peared to be master of the situation. His men 
were following hot upon his heels and, once they 
arrived to lend their assistance, the affair must 
assume the conditions of a farce. 

Seeing the folly of pushing and tugging so 
long as the immovable barrier remained to prog- 
ress, Bravo started upon another line of argu- 
ment. He was well versed in all the various 
methods whereby conviction may be secured 
even in the most stubborn case, and the manner 
in which he brought his pole down upon the 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 205 


cranium of the burly Spaniard was, Teddy 
thought, truly artistic. 

Evidently Bravo managed to bring consider- 
able force into his downward stroke, if it was 
delivered in a hurry, for immediately there en- 
sued a vast amount of splashing in the water, 
and when Teddy gave a desperate push with his 
pole he found that the boat was free to move 
away. Da Gama having relinquished his grip, as 
any man so sorely stricken might well do. Glad- 
ly they pushed away from the scene of distur- 
bance. 

That the captain was not drowned or even 
seriously injured beyond that temporary stroke 
of paralysis, they presently had strong evidence 
when they heard his bull-like voice raised in de- 
nouncing his laggard crew for not having been 
on hand when most needed. 

Teddy hoped they had seen the last of the 
ruffian; but so long as they were forced from 
one cause or another to remain within biscuit- 
toss of the shore where he held forth, he knew 
there must be a constant fear of further efforts 


206 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


on the part of the Spaniard looking toward re- 
prisals ; for he was in a fine hninor to cnt their 
throats, or do something equally brutal, if so be 
the fortunes of war would only turn the tables 
for a brief spell. 

In the darkness they could not immediately 
find the other boat, for Maro, hearing the signs 
of trouble, had seen fit to change the sloop’s an- 
chorage. However, a hail across the water 
eventually took them in the right quarter, and 
the two forces were once again united. 

The loud voices ashore had now ceased. Per- 
haps the disconsolate ba Gama was having his 
bruised head bandaged; or else, acting on the 
homeopathetic principle that ^Gike is cured by 
like, ’ ’ he may have been cudgeling his brains in 
the endeavor to -suggest a way whereby long-de- 
layed victory might be obtained over those who 
held the fort so valiantly. 

Eeally this was a most extraordinary termina- 
tion to the adventure of being cast away on a 
sand-key ; and yet Teddy remembered that Eob- 
inson Crusoe after leaving his famous island. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 207 

went through with some astonishing mishaps 
while traveling overland, being chased hy wolves 
and attacked hy hands of murderous desert Tar- 
tars. No doubt it was all in the game, and ac- 
cording to the hook. All he wished now was that 
the breeze would spring up from some quarter, 
the east preferred, and allow them to sail away 
from this dangerous community, where a savage 
old pirate schemed toward their undoing. 

No one thought of sleep, though they found 
plenty of room now in which to stretch them- 
selves out, should the notion come, for the three 
manned the sloop while the hoys had possession 
of their own craft. 

Maro treated himself to sundry swigs at the 
water-can, and announced his appreciation of the 
draft in language quite as fervent as the occa- 
sion seemed to call for. Indeed, he declared it 
the sweetest liquid refreshment that had ever 
passed his lips, which could of course he taken 
with a grain of allowance, considering his fam- 
ished condition at the time. 

Ever and anon they turned anxious eyes to- 


208 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


ward the shore, wondering what their enemies 
might he doing. The darkness screened every- 
thing so fnlly that it was utterly impossible to 
see a single object. 

Several times the hoys thought they heard 
voices, hut could not make sure, since it might 
have been some bird of the night, or possibly a 
frog, if such inhabited this island of the salty 
seas. What they had seen of the Spaniard had 
convinced them that he was a man who hated to 
give up any cherished object, and especially if 
it concerned his future welfare ; so according to 
their minds the reverses which Da Gama had 
already received, instead of chastening him were 
apt to arouse the fighting blood to its utmost 
limit. 

Would they swim out to assail those on the 
boats? Eemembering what manner of sharks 
inhabited the waters, Teddy was inclined to 
doubt this, though he realized how such a pos- 
sible peril might not daunt a man as desperate 
as the buccaneer chief. He had his gun within 
reach of his hand all the time, and Maro did not 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 209 


neglect to keep a pole close by, with wbicb be 
hoped to push the light craft out of danger 
should trouble spring upon them, rather than 
use it as a weapon of offense, after the manner 
suggested by Bravo’s treatment of the captain. 

It wore on toward midnight. The stars 
glowed in the clear heavens and the gurgling 
sound of lapping waves along the beach told of 
the calm that rested upon the late turbulent sea. 

Teddy confessed to feeling sleepy enough by 
this time, and thought it might be the part of 
wisdom to divide the watches, each securing 
some rest by turns. Accordingly it was so ar- 
ranged, and Maro who declared he had never 
been more wideawake in his life, insisted upon 
taking the first trick as guardian of the little 
craft. So Teddy made as comfortable a bed as 
the occasion allowed, having turned his shotgun 
over to the guard, and in less than three minutes 
after his head struck the rude pillow he was fast 
asleep. 

Maro sat there with his face turned toward 


210 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


the shore, and keenly on the alert for signs of 
trouble. Now and then he heard a movement 
aboard the sloop, which he could see close by, 
and from this he understood that Bravo was not 
deluding .himself with the idea that further 
trouble was impossible. 

Occasionally some fish jumped out of the 
water with a splash, and Maro wondered if these 
might not be the jumping mullet of whose acro- 
batic qualities he had heard and read so much 
in connection with accounts of Florida expe- 
riences. And once there was a sudden rush in 
the water as a shark pounced upon his prey. 
Maro, thinking the long-expected surprise was 
coming, made a move with the gun, but recog- 
nized the probable cause of the disturbance in 
time to stay his hand; while Teddy slumbered 
through it all, in blissful unconsciousness of the 
racket. Oh! for a puff of air, to indicate that 
the breeze really meant to favor them; but an 
hour or more crept by, and everything was as 
dead as dead could be, and it would appear that 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 211 


until dawn came they might not expect any 
change. There were nine chances out of ten 
that it would come when the sun rose above the 
horizon, as Maro well knew, he being in close 
touch with the eccentricities of the weather as 
found along the coast. 

When the boys suspected that the Spanish 
captain was plotting further trouble they were 
not far wrong, for a man of his passions could 
not admit himself defeated so long as a single 
chance remained whereby conditions could he al- 
tered. He considered no difficulties too severe 
if by undertaking some project he might find an 
opportunity to eventually win out. Thus it came 
to pass that the discovery of some timber that 
had been washed ashore from the wreck of a 
lumber vessel suggested an idea which by de- 
grees he and his henchmen were putting into 
practice, taking their time and working with ex- 
treme caution in order not to give the alarm. 
Besides, with the cunning that has ever marked 
those of his breed. Da Gama knew how the still. 


212 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


small hours of the early morning are better 
suited for an attack than any other time, since 
men at such times are more apt to be overcome 
by the drowsy god of slumber. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

WELL WON. 

History repeats itself, they say, and surely it 
seemed as though it did so in this case ; for the 
old story of the Spanish armada starting out to 
overwhelm the English fleet was copied on a 
small scale, when Da Gama and his band each 
mounted a log which was to serve in lieu of a 
boat, and with rude paddles ventured upon the 
bosom of the bay, heading in the quarter where 
they judged the sloop, together with her smaller 
attendant craft, lay anchored. 

No doubt the spectacle would have been highly 
entertaining could one have looked upon it by 
daylight, for sailors that they were the six chaps 
straddled their logs as though they were so 
many tricky horses; and every one knows how 
213 


214 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


clumsy Jack is when he attempts to navigate 
ashore on the back of four-footed deceptions. 
Still, the main thing was to make progress and 
this they did after their fashion, trusting to luck 
that any splash made in the manipulation of 
their clumsy craft would, if heard, be laid at the 
door of the frisky mullet in the shallows. The 
English fleet lay in darkness, but as the sloop 
was painted white, her location would be be- 
trayed when they arrived within a certain dis- 
tance of her anchorage. 

Da Gama proved himself no mean commander 
when it came to strategy, for he had arranged 
matters with his men whereby they could con- 
centrate their full force upon the sloop, which 
appeared to be the object of their ambition. 

If the watch aboard the sponger saw the mov- 
ing logs at all he possibly considered them as 
beneath his notice, believing them to be some 
species of fish or aquatic reptiles such as alliga- 
tors, for he gave no sign of warning until the 
logs had been pushed up alongside. His sudden 
shout of discovery rang over the water, and was 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 215 


immediately followed by a roar from the leath- 
ern lungs of Da Gama, as he dipped his paddle 
in deeply and sent his unique craft slam up 
against the side of the sloop. 

That was a warm time afloat, with six lusty 
fellows bellowing as they attempted to board the 
boat, and three equally determined mariners try- 
ing their best to prevent such an accomplish- 
ment. 

No wonder Teddy woke up suddenly and 
scrambled to his feet, under the impression that 
he was a Turk at the time Bozarris and his val- 
iant Greeks fell upon the sleeping camp. He 
snatched up the pole and stood on the defensive, 
really believing the attack was intended for 
them. 

^^Push over to help Bravo!’’ shouted Maro, 
on the spur of the moment. 

It would have been natural for them to have 
considered the affair was none of their business, 
and to have remained passive spectators while it 
was being decided one way or the other ; but both 
of them had settled this matter when talking 


216 


YOUNO CASTAWAYS 


over the possibilities ahead, and it was decided 
that should their companions be the objects of 
Da Gama’s attack, it would be their duty to lend 
a hand. Teddy pushed for all he was worth, 
and by degrees the cedar boat progressed to- 
ward the other, around which the fighting was 
going on. 

They were having a high old time of it, judg- 
ing from the tremendous amount of splashing 
and shouting that served to make things lively ; 
but it was of course impossible to tell which side 
seemed to be getting the upper hand. 

Maro crouched in the bow of the Loon, hold- 
ing his gun in readiness for immediate use, but 
unwilling to fire while the chances of hitting 
friends was equal to that of disabling foes. It 
seemed really too bad that these fellows should 
be engaging in this miserable warfare, when, as 
comrades in misfortune, they should have com- 
bined their energies with the one idea of work- 
ing out their salvation, by reaching some friend- 
ly port; yet such is the pugnacious nature of 
their class that they could engage in this bitter 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 217 


feud even while facing distressing conditions. 

Maro was simply disgusted, but he knew that 
so long as Da Gama controlled the other side 
nothing could he done to bring about peace. 

He listened intently, hoping to discover how 
the affair was proceeding so that they might 
govern their own actions accordingly. If Bravo 
and his fellows were already overcome, it would 
be the height of folly for the two hoys to at- 
tempt a rescue, and under such conditions the 
best they could do would he to sheer off and es- 
cape while the chance remained. As the roar of 
battle continued unabated, he was forced to be- 
lieve that Bravo managed to hold his own, and 
this inclined him to allow Teddy to keep up his 
efforts with the setting-pole. 

They were now close upon the scene of riot, 
and Maro could begin to make out something of 
what was taking place upon the deck of the 
sponger. He could see that those who held the 
fort were rushing like mad this way and that, 
making vicious jabs at the would-be boarders, 
who, knocked again and again into the water. 


218 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


only continued to clamber up again, dripping 
with brine, in the endeavor to effect a perma- 
nent lodgment on the deck. Salt water evident- 
ly had little terror for them, now that their 
fighting blood had been aroused, and they took 
these immersions as a part of the game, hoping 
sooner or later to weary those who did the push- 
ing, and forcing their unwelcome presence on 
board. This was the condition of things when 
our boys came upon the scene. 

Maro did not want to use his gun, for at such 
a short distance the effect would be as serious 
as the discharge of a cannon ; and while he had 
roughed it more or less during some of the later 
years of his existence, he certainly did not wish 
to take human life if it could possibly be avoided. 
Accordingly he, too, armed himself with a pole 
and began to slash the water at a furious rate, 
intending to rain his blows upon some wretched 
piratical chap when another push from the ener- 
getic Teddy shortened the distance separating 
the two boats. In this respect he could not ex- 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 219 


perience any scruples, since these men certainly 
deserved all that was coming to them. 

When the two lads got into concerted action 
they created something of a little panic among 
the ambitious and amphibious buccaneers, who 
speedly deserted that side of the sloop for the 
other, where they might at least expect blows 
from only one quarter. 

How the atfair might have worked out had 
matters remained in this condition it would he 
hard to say, since both sides exhibited a certain 
bulldog tenacity of purpose. It chanced, how- 
ever, that new elements cropped up to change 
the situation. Teddy was the first to discover 
the fact that while they worked their way in the 
direction of the sloop, the long expected breeze 
had swung in upon them, and that it had already 
fluttered along the surface of the water, causing 
more than a ripple. And as luck would have it 
this new wind came out of a quarter favorable 
for any ambition they might encourage. With 
a sail set it would soon hear them away from the 


220 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


rival crews, and ont past the point of land, be- 
yond which lay the broad ocean. 

Thus an inspiration flashed athwart the bright 
mind of the New England boy, and he hastened 
to shout at his chum : ‘ ‘ A breeze ! Up with our 

sail, Teddy, while I fasten on to the sloop, and 
we fll tow ’em out to sea ! ’ ’ 

While the young Canadian might well be as- 
tonished at the brilliancy of this sudden con- 
ceit, he was able to grasp its strong qualities and 
started immediately to carry out his share in his 
usual buoyant manner. 

Next Maro turned his attention to those 
aboard the sponger. ‘‘Ahoy, Bravo!” he 
shouted, and his shrill treble was heard above 
the harsh roar of battle, so that the other made 
answer. 

“Hello, hello!” he bawled, “what luck, lad*?” 

“Cut loose from your anchor— we’re going 
out to sea ! ’ ’ was what the boy called, repeating 
it several times as he crouched down and secured 
a rope, so that the two boats were attached, 
stern to stern. Little did the incongruity of the 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 221 


tiling matter just then, their one ambition being 
to get away. 

Doubtless what he shouted was also heard by 
the buccaneers, and with something like conster- 
nation, for they must have realized that such a 
move if successfully carried out meant ruin to 
all their hopes and ambitions ; so that they en- 
deavored more than ever to come aboard, and 
stay after they got there. Teddy had mean- 
while succeeded in dragging the forlorn sail into 
place, and as the first puff of wind struck in they 
actually began to move through the water, show- 
ing that some one must have obeyed Maro ^s in- 
junction to sever the rope that held the sloop to 
her anchor. A start having thus been made 
their progress began to become more and more 
apparent, and presently it was so pronounced 
that none might fail to understand how condi- 
tions had changed. 

Black despair now seized upon the assailants. 
Recognizing the fact that defeat stared them in 
the face, and that they would probably be left 
behind on the island, they began to alter their 


222 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


tune and beg for quarter, declaring that they 
were ready to give up the fight, and that the vic- 
torious crew could hold them as prisoners if they 
chose; but such was the confusion that their 
piteous plea was not fully understood, so that 
Bravo and his gang continued to cheerfully 
knock them overboard again and again as fast 
as they bobbed up; and all the while the sloop 
was being dragged toward the open sea. 

One by one the wretched buccaneers fell away, 
afraid lest they be taken outside and left to per- 
ish. The sound of the battle gradually ceased, 
and by the time they had arrived opposite the 
edge of the point the last of the marauders had 
^ven up the fight, and was making desperately 
for the shore on his clumsy log float. It had 
been a tough experience all around, and none of 
them were sorry to believe they had seen the 
last of the desperate ruffians. 

A stay was made to correct the position of the 
sloop, and once she changed her front with sail 
thrown to the breeze she assumed the lead, as 
became her larger spread of canvas. The is- 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 223 


land was blotted out of sight, but they could im- 
agine what a bedraggled and furious group of 
men was gathered on the beach, as the members 
of the expedition that failed to accomplish its 
object crawled out of the water one by one. 

Our lads had now entered on another phase of 
their adventures, with everything seeming to 
favor their speedy return to the haunts of civili- 
zation. The wind remained fitful throughout 
the balance of the night, now favoring them, and 
then dying utterly away; but they did not com- 
plain, since its coming in just the nick of time 
had saved the day, and they felt as though they 
could afford to wait until morning for a fresh 
breeze. 

They marked out their course by the stars and 
managed to keep within hailing distance of each 
other while darkness lasted. Bravo may have 
had his poor qualities, but deserting those who 
had been able to do him a friendly turn did not 
appear to belong to the list. When the dawn 
came at last, Teddy with his apology for a glass 
took an observation, and announced that he could 


224 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


distinctly see the island that had been the scene 
of their recent adventures ; and he also declared 
that a column of black smoke rose in the air 
above it, as though those marooned spirits who 
had been left behind against their will hoped to 
thus attract the attention of some passing ship. 

With the freshening wind they set their course 
"anew, and headed in that quarter whence they 
hoped and expected to find a harbor. Provis- 
ions were at a premium, and they could not 
stand the strain of a long voyage in their pres- 
ent condition, so that one and all fervently hoped 
the anticipated haven would speedily show up. 


CHAPTER XX. 

MAEO MEETS THE SKIPPER AGAIN. 

Throughout the whole day they continued to 
make fair progress in the direction their course 
had been set. Twice they sighted distant sails, 
showing that they were now more in the track 
of trading vessels; and once a steamer loomed 
up, heading in the direction of the States, pos- 
sibly some fruit vessel going north laden with 
bananas or cocoanuts. 

As evening came on they drew near a schooner 
and made signals of distress ; seeing which those 
on board the schooner immediately bore down 
upon them, and came up into the wind, calling 
to them to draw alongside and tell their story. 
This they did after a fashion, though the hoys 
made no attempt to explain the whys and where- 
225 


226 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


fores of their being present ; and the sailors who 
lined the side of the schooner, dark-faced natives 
most of them, stared at the sancy little cedar ^ 
cruiser as though they considered a fellow must 
be out of his mind to risk his life in such a frail 
cockle-shell. Teddy had his own opinion about 
that same thing, and such was his sublime con- 
fidence in the indestructible Loon that he would 
willingly have taken chances in her- when the 
seas were great enough to have swamped 
Bravo ^s sloop. 

Their necessities appealed to the captain of 
the schooner, who willingly spared them some 
ship biscuit and what else he could find aboard, 
though as usual there was little variety in his 
grub-list. Teddy insisted upon his taking pay 
for the same, though the honest skipper would 
have donated it just as willingly, for men in his 
line have a fellow sympathy for any one in dis- 
tress. They have knocked about on the sea so 
long, and experienced so m.any hardships, owing 
to the whims of the mighty ocean, that a fellow- 
feeling possesses them whenever there is an ap- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 227 


peal for help. Tramps are few and far between 
on the ocean highway, and there is small chance 
for a man’s natural generosity to he displayed. 

Our friends continued their cruise with hap- 
pier hearts, for not only had they been made the 
recipients of the skipper ’s bounty, in the way of 
food, hut he had given them their course, by fol- 
lowing which they would arrive ere long at San 
Juan, on the northern coast of Porto Rico, where 
under the protecting flag of the United States 
they would he apt to receive a kindly welcome, 
as do all shipwrecked mariners. 

The wind increased in force with the falling 
of night’s shades, and lest the two boats become 
separated in the darkness, our hoys went aboard 
the sloop, after which the Loon was taken in tow, 
at the end of a short line. Being without bal- 
last she rode the waves like a cork, and Teddy 
had faith to believe she would remain with them 
to the finish. By this time they were accustomed 
to taking whatever the weather clerk chose to 
hand out, and under reduced sail kept as straight 


228 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


a course as was possible through the lonely vigils 
of the night. 

The hoys stood their turn at the wheel, and 
little sleep was secured by any one on board, for 
there were times when prompt action was need- 
ed with the handling of the craft in order to 
avoid disaster, so suddenly did squalls rush 
down upon them. Clouds scurried across the 
sky, and there were all the signs of a gathering 
storm; but many times these prophets of evil 
show themselves without results, and so none of 
our little company borrowed trouble on this ac- 
count. 

Toward morning the sea had risen to tremend- 
ous heights, and Teddy was in great distress of 
mind over his pet craft, for it seemed as though 
at times her fierce lunges must surely snap the 
cable, or else tear out the ring-bolt in her bow 
to which the rope was attached. Again and 
again he hovered over the cleat to which the 
other end of the cable was secured, easing the 
strain after a fashion, and tenderly watching the 
frantic plunges which the captive cruiser made 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 229 


in following the lead of her larger companion. 
And while he was thus bending down, a billow 
larger than any that had as yet battered against 
the sloop, came sweeping down, slapping against 
her counter and rising to overwhelm her deck 
with a flood of green waters. Teddy, being but 
a fresh-water sailor, knew not this ancient trick 
of the sea, so that he was caught napping and* 
would have gone overboard in a smother of 
yeasty foam had not a black muscular arm shot 
out and pinned him fast, the owner of said arm 
being securely anchored with his other hand 
through the iron to which the block of the sheet 
was secured. 

It was Ham who thus prevented the young 
Canadian from going overboard, and as Teddy 
regained his footing on the slippery deck, 
it was not strange that as he gazed into that 
ebony countenance, now grinning from ear to 
ear with delight, he should forget that he had 
ever called it a villainous phiz, and one he could 
never trust. He had learned a lesson, such as 
may be taught only by experience. 


230 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


That same billow had loosened the fastenings 
of the Loon, and the venturesome cedar craft 
manifested a disposition to go upon another lone 
voyage; hut Teddy saw the danger and sprang 
to the rescue, adjusting new ropes ere another 
wave smothered the sloop. This held out, and 
the Loon concluded to stick to the sponger, which 
solution of the problem pleased Teddy quite a 
bit. 

The same wave had come near foundering the 
sloop, and every member of her crew was now 
on deck, ready to join in the fight for life. 

They saw the approach of a second night with 
more or less apprehension, for who could tell 
what its hours of gloom might have in store for 
them? Bad as it was to fight the storm-king 
while daylight lasted, it was far more desperate 
under the canopy of night, when a pall hid every- 
thing from view, and eternal viligance was the 
price of safety. It was a bad night for them 
all, even though a number of like experiences 
had of late been crowded upon them. The wind 
held high carnival hour after hour and the sea 


MAKOONED ON A SAND-KEY 231 


grew absolutely fearful in its toppling waves, 
that appeared to tower above the little vessel as 
tliongh threatening to crash her nnder the 
weight of their displeasure ; yet she was a splen- 
did seaworthy boat, and threw the tons upon 
tons of green water from her as she rose again, 
jnst as a Newfoundland dog would shake the 
drops from his hide upon emerging from the 
water. With joy they greeted the first streaks 
of dawn, hoping its coming would bring them 
some new reason for hope, since the terror of 
darkness was wearing upon them fearfully. 

Then what shouts went up as Teddy made the 
discovery that they were within sight not only 
of land, but of a harbor where ships rode out the 
stonn! And what a thrill of delight the boys 
experienced when their eyes once more beheld 
the blessed stars and stripes of Old Glory float- 
ing in the breeze over the ramparts of San Juan, 
once a stronghold of Spanish power in the West 
Indies, but now an outlying section of the great 
Republic to the north ! Truly their long series 
of troubles must be at an end, and they could 


232 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


cast anchor in peaceful waters. The trials and 
tribulations of the past faded from their minds, 
and they remembered only that the future held 
out hope. 

It mattered little to Bravo where he turned 
up, since he still held possession of his sloop, 
and could engage in his favorite business, next 
to treasure-seeking, that of hunting sponges for 
the market.. 

As to the men who had been left on the is- 
land, the skipper bothered his head not a whit, 
and so far as he was concerned they might have 
lived the balance of their lives in seclusion. 
Maro had not been brought up that way, and felt 
it to be his duty to report the circumstances to 
the proper authorities at his first opportunity, 
leaving to them the task of attempting the res- 
cue of the marooned ones. 

The boys went ashore at the first chance, for 
they were naturally eager to see what sort of a 
place the capital of Porto Rico might be. Both 
had heard much about its attractions, but this 
was not seeing for themselves. And it was fine 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 233 


to step on solid ground, with the knowledge that 
the comforts of civilization surrounded one, that 
for an exchange of coin he could secure almost 
anything imaginable in the way of food. 

Perhaps it is only natural, and certainly ex- 
cusable, that shipwrecked mariners, upon find- 
ing themselves in a port of safety, should allow 
their thoughts to dwell principally upon the de- 
lights of satisfying the appetite, since custom 
has made civilized man a slave to the good things 
of the table. Luckily Teddy was well supplied 
with money, which he had sewed in the lining of 
his coat, and the presence of which was never for 
a moment suspected by those rough companions 
of his adventurous cruise; else it might have 
tempted Da Gama as a means of partially satis- 
fying the disappointment caused by his failure 
to unearth treasure. 

Teddy was liberal to the tips of his fingers 
and insisted on his chum sharing his possessions. 
They left the Loon in the hands of a native boat- 
man, who guaranteed to make the little craft as 
good as new inside of two days ; and Teddy was 


234 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


already laying out a campaign for himself and 
friend along the Indian river section of coast- 
wise Florida, when the cedar boat that had al- 
ready served the Canadian lad so faithfully in 
his long cruise from the land of ice and snow 
would be their home for some months. 

It had been arranged that Maro should not 
notify his uncle concerning his escape from the 
sea. He could lie low all winter, and when the 
approach of warm weather drove the boys north 
it would be time enough then to surprise Uncle 
Simon, who would no doubt be vastly pleased to 
learn that his bugbear of a- scapegrace nephew 
had survived, to remain a stumbling block be- 
tween himself and that rich property which he 
coveted. The fruit to be purchased, as well as 
the beef from which they had been deprived so 
long ; how they gloried in these things ! Why, 
the earth seemed beautiful enough to be called a 
paradise, and they felt at peace with all men. 

But, before night set in Maro was made the 
recipient of a shock that took away some of the 
pleasure of living, and he realized that after all 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 235 


this old world may seem very small. This con- 
dition of mind resulted from an accidental meet- 
ing on the plaza with a man whom he had good 
reason to remember, being none other than Cap- 
tain Clawson, of the ill-fated Nancy Lee. Ap- 
parently the boats had managed to run across 
some rescuing craft, and eventually the evil 
skipper had turned up in San Juan, where he 
might be taking life easy while waiting to re- 
ceive a remittance from that same artful schem- 
er, Uncle Simon. 

Captain Clawson was certainly the more as- 
tonished, for he had not the least idea in the 
world that the boy was in the land of the living, 
after his miserable trick of locking him in his 
stateroom on board the supposed sinking vessel. 
He turned a sickly color, and his eyes seemed to 
fairly pop out of their sockets, for all mariners 
are inclined toward superstition, and Clawson 
was no exception. Had Maro made any extra- 
ordinary manifestation, such as spirits are sup- 
posed to show, the other would probably have 
turned and fled from the spot ; but Maro had no 


236 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


idea of playing ghost, and turned a very indig- 
nant face upon his old enemy. 

‘‘Well,’’ he said, looking the other in the eye, 
“this is a more agreeable meeting than our last 
one. Captain. Don’t think I’m a ghost come to 
haunt you. The old Nancy Lee didn’t go down 
as soon as you calculated, when you bored those 
holes in her bottom in order to get the insurance 
money, and you see I managed to escape.” 

Captain Clawson tried to bluff it out, as his 
best resort. 

“Boy, I’m mighty glad to see you. I’ve been 
sorry ever since that I let the men hurry me 
into that boat, without casting around to find 
what had become of you. That’s gospel truth 
I’m tellin’ whether you believe it or not. And 
as to my borin’ holes, you’re mistaken, Maro. I 
ain’t that kind of man. I’m just a-waitin’ for 
your uncle to send money to get us home ; and if 
so be I can do anything for you, say the word. ’ ’ 

Though he spoke so smoothly Maro was not in 
the least deceived, for he knew the skipper of 
old, and seeing the glitter in his eye that told 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 237 


of slumbering passion, knew how Clawson would 
be only too well pleased to find an opportunity 
in the near future, whereby he could in some 
other way carry out his instructions from the 
man to whom he had sold himself, soul and body. 

ask no favors from you, and I want to see 
nothing more of you. If you trouble me the 
least bit, IVe arranged to tell my whole story 
to the Governor of Porto Rico, who will find a 
place for such as you. So, on the whole, it 
would be wise for you to sheer off and leave me 
alone. If you do I promise not to bother you— 
that’s all. ” Then Maro turned his back deliber- 
ately on the old tar, and stalked away, leaving 
an angry man on the square. 

Perhaps Maro may have taken the wisest 
course to tie the hands of the skipper, who had 
a certain amount of respect for the law. But 
should the occasion ever arise to give the late 
captain of the Nancy Lee another chance to do 
him an ill turn, Clawson was in a humor to put 
his whole soul into the work ; for to be treated so 
contemptuously by a mere boy, and one whom 


238 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


he had abused on board ship at that, was galling 
to the scoundrelly sailor ’s pride. 

When Teddy heard about the encounter he 
was uneasy, for he had come to feel very warmly 
toward this new-found chum, and would have 
experienced considerable distress should any- 
thing have happened to Maro. He fancied that 
the captain would plan evil things, and that the 
sooner they got away from San Juan the better. 


CHAPTER XXI. 

HOW THEY SAILED FKOM SAN JUAN. 

It was determined to find out early the next 
morning when a steamer left for some port in 
the States, though Teddy did not like the idea of 
traveling hack north, after fighting his way 
down the coast in his little cruiser. Perhaps, he 
suggested, they might run across some sailing 
vessel that was bound for Havana, on hoard of 
which the Loon might be shipped, with them- 
selves as passengers. Once at the Cuban capi- 
tal they could re-embark on a small steamer 
that plied between that port and Miami on Bis- 
cayne bay in Florida, where their winter could 
be put in with the mysterious Everglades within 
reach, filled with opportunities for adventure 
and exploration, such as must appeal to such a 
lover of outdoor life as the young Canadian. 

239 


240 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


They had pat up at a hotel which was rec- 
ommended by Bravo, who had been in San J nan 
before, and where they were decently treated, so 
far as food and lodgings went, though Teddy 
thought things might have been a bit cleaner, to 
suit his taste. While the music in the plaza was 
attractive, and the spectacle of the moving 
crowds appealed to their sympathies, neither of 
the boys thought it just wise to mingle with the 
various groups. Teddy was still uneasy con- 
cerning the vindictive skipper, and manufac- 
tured all manner of possible dangers that might 
arise through his desire to please his unscru- 
pulous employer. It is not every boy in these 
prosaic days who can run across a real romance 
such as clung about the fortunes of Maro, and 
the Canadian lad thought it his duty to make as 
much out of it as possible. 

They had a balcony in front of their room 
which was in the second story of the hotel facing 
the square, and by taking chairs outside they 
could hear the band play, and look down on the 
crowd without being compelled to rub elbows 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 241 


with them; which Teddy thought was a capital 
thing, since he had read much concerning the 
love which all who inherit Spanish blood have 
for the stealthy use of the knife, as a means of 
redressing fancied wrongs. 

Perhaps he was right after all. Maro was in- 
clined to believe so when, later in the evening, 
his attention was directed toward the dark fig- 
ure of a man who had halted in the shadow of a 
building, and appeared to be eagerly watching 
the hotel. He had an idea this was Captain 
Clawson, and when Teddy had his attention di- 
rected toward the same quarter he agreed with 
him. They watched without allowing the other 
to see them, and became convinced that the skip- 
per had certain evil designs upon them, or else 
he would never have gone to such trouble. 

Teddy was for changing their quarters at 
once, but the other succeeded in laughing this 
notion down. While San Juan might not be so 
safe a place as Boston, still under the shelter of 
the hotel they ought to find a fair measure of se- 
curity. All they had to do was to remain in se- 


242 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


elusion while darkness lasted, and hasten their 
departure on the following day, no matter as to 
whether the hoaUs repairs had been completed 
or not. Anything in that line could be carried 
out at Miami just as well, without their assum- 
ing the risk that seemed to cover a further so- 
journ in the Porto Rico capital. 

They double-fastened their doors that night. 
Indeed, Teddy was so nervous over the affair he 
proposed sitting up with the gun at hand, ready 
to repel boarders; but his friend made fun of 
such a move, and calmed his anticipations of 
trouble. Several times during the night Teddy 
popped up in bed, and appeared to be listening 
intently to certain sounds that came from with- 
out, and which perhaps in his present highly ex- 
cited state of mind seemed suspicious to him. 
Once he even crawled out of bed and slipped 
over to the window, under the impression that 
he had heard some one climbing up on that bal- 
cony where he and Maro spent the evening ; but 
investigation did not reveal the shadowy figure 
of a would-be kidnapper, and Teddy was fain to 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 243 


seek his couch again to doze, and dream of des- 
perate conflicts with the rough sailormen who 
worked under the skipper. 

Perhaps something could he laid to the fact 
that while cruising the lad had accustomed him- 
self to waking several times during the night, to 
see if his boat was safe, or the fire burning. 
Habit is strong in such cases, even when the roof 
of a friendly caravansary shelters one instead 
of the canopy of heaven. 

Maro was himself sleeping lightly. This thing 
of a genuine bed seemed wholly out of place 
after the rough experiences of the last portion of 
his life, and one would have to become accus- 
tomed to such a luxury by degrees. So he knew 
something of Teddy ^s uneasiness, and secretly 
chuckled under the covers, which were scanty 
enough as became a warm climate, though not 
saying a word at the time. That would do to 
keep and toss at his friend when he wanted an 
excuse for teasing him. At any rate, both of the 
hoys were glad enough to see the morning light, 
and hoped that before another evening they 


244 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


might be away from noisy San Juan, with its 
music-loving population ; away from the skipper 
of the Nancy Lee, and free from his plottings. 

Immediately after breakfast they set out to 
make a tour of the docks, asking about vessels 
that were about to sail shortly. Their journey 
resulted in hut one positive find, and when the 
balance was struck it was decided to avail them- 
selves of this opportunity to get away. 

A schooner named the Pompano was loading 
for Havana, and expected to sail before dark. 
Arrangements were made with her captain to 
convey the little cruiser on deck to the Cuban 
capital, as well as both hoys as passengers. 

After lunch they settled their account at the 
hotel. It was not difficult to carry their luggage, 
since they had made only a few necessary pur- 
chases, and these were soon deposited in the lit- 
tle snuggery on hoard the Pompano which was 
to be their very own during the cruise across the 
wide stretch of water. 

Then came the task of conveying the boat. 
The man to whom had been given the job of re- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 245 


pairing the same had not even touched his work, 
after the usual procrastinating manner of Span- 
iards, though he did not hesitate to spend the 
advance money which he had demanded and re- 
ceived when accepting the conditions. For this 
latter Teddy cared little, hut he did stand up for 
his rights when the fellow tried to make him pay 
the full amount; and it required a threat from 
Maro to call the police, before he consented to 
accept another small payment and waive his 
rights ; anything rather than have trouble, with 
a consequent delay in getting away. A mule 
and a cart managed to convey the boat to the 
landing, and our hoys drew a breath of relief 
when they saw the cedar craft safely lodged on 
the deck of the schooner, lashed to prevent such 
a catastrophe as its being washed overboard by 
some mischievous billow. 

Going aboard they anxiously waited for the 
vessel to get under way, but evening came on 
with men still hustling to complete the cargo. 
They ate supper aboard and made no complaint, 
though the character of the food was not such as 


246 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


to arouse enthusiasm, even with lads who had of 
late been cast upon a sand-key in the Caribbean. 

‘‘They’re making ready to cast oft!” an- 
nounced Maro, about the time they finished their 
meal ; whereupon Teddy sprang out of the cabin 
and rushed on deck, to ascertain if the good 
news were true. 

He found it to be so, since the last line had 
been brought aboard, and they were moving 
slowly from the dock, the tide carrying the 
schooner into the harbor. Dark-faced sailors 
were hoisting sails and altogether there seemed 
an air of bustle that was exceedingly pleasing to 
the Canadian lad. When finally the wind filled 
their sails, and they began to actually leave the 
city astern, our young adventurers felt like giv- 
ing a genuine shout of pleasure, for it seemed 
as though their troubles all lay in the shadowy 
past, and that the future appeared rosy with 
hope, and the promise of pleasures dear to the 
boyish heart. 

They were weary and did not remain long on 
deck, though while the lights of San Juan flick- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 247 


ered in the distance Maro conld not tear himself 
away. Teddy must take a last look at the cruiser 
on deck, as if to assure himself that it was still 
safe, and then he prepared to follow his friend 
below. 

He found Maro troubled. ‘‘WhaEs the mat- 
ter— not sick with this little roughness, I 
hope?^^ he said, as soon as he caught sight of 
his friend ^s face. 

‘‘Such miserable luck!’’ exclaimed Maro, in 
a disgusted tone. 

“What’s up now?” 

“ Oh, he’s aboard, that’s all,” sighed the New 
England boy, and it was evident that there could 
be but one person coming under that head with 
Teddy, for he immediately jumped to a con- 
clusion. 

“You don’t mean Captain Clawson?” 

“Yes, I do— met him right on the companion- 
way, when I was coming down here— just as big 
as life, and so surprised to see me he nearly fell 
over. ’ ’ 

“That settles it— we’re in for war,” an- 


248 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


nounced Teddy, making a dive for the corner of 
the little den where he had deposited his shot- 
gun. 


CHAPTER XXII. 

CAMPING AND CRUISING IN FLORIDA. 

This impulsive movement on the part of Ted- 
dy caused his friend to smile again, and so he 
forgot a portion of his troubles. “ The door has 
a lock, so don’t think he’s going to break in on 
us. And I’m sure the look of disgust he gave me 
was real, so I imagine the old skipper is even 
more discouraged at finding us aboard than we 
can feel at seeing him, ’ ’ remarked Maro, laugh- 
ingly. 

Teddy became reassured, and condescended, 
now that he had the gun where he could lay 
hands on it, to talk over the case reasonably. 

‘‘What d’ye suppose brings him aboard the 
Pompano, if not to get you for that blessed old 
uncle ? ” he asked. 

“Well, I don’t know for certain, you see, hut 

249 


250 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


I can give a pretty close guess, and I imagine 
the old chap ’s badly rattled over the way things 
have gone with his miserable business. Perhaps 
he thought we meant to denounce him to Gover- 
nor Hunt and have him locked up on the charge 
of trying to make way with me. ThaUs what 
we ought to have done, I guess, though I hated 
to think of staying there to accuse the villain in 
court. The question that interests us is, what 
will he try to do, now that he finds that we are 
bound for the same port as himself 1 ’’ 

^‘But that^s a foreign territory, you know, 
and he neednT have the same fear as at San 
Juan, where the laws of the United States pre- 
vail. We must be wide awake, and not give him 
any chance to work us any ill. And above all 
things see to it that you keep away from the rail 
when on board, and especially at night, for d’ye 
know, I imagine from the character you’ve given 
this angelic cherub that he ’d like nothing better 
than to push you overboard, under the plea that 
you owed Davy Jones something for having 
cheated him before.” 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 251 


So they canvassed the situation this way and 
that, and agreed on a plan of campaign that held 
out fair promises. The skipper must be kept 
under their eye while the cruise lasted and given 
to understand that they did not mean to allow 
any foolishness ; that the first movement on his 
part looking to treachery was to bring a storm 
upon his head that would be exceedingly un- 
pleasant. 

At any rate the presence of the skipper of the 
lost Nancy Lee had the effect of destroying what 
pleasure they might have taken in the voyage, 
which they now prayed might be as brief as pos- 
sible. The next morning they found the schoon- 
er bowling along under a full spread of canvas, 
and with a lumpy sea; but both boys were fair 
sailors, and this sort of thing possessed a cer- 
tain amount of charm for them ; if only that ogre 
were absent. 

The skipper avoided them all day, though he 
came to his meals, sitting at the other end of the 
table, and joining in the general conversation. 
He was plainly ill at ease, and Teddy did not 


252 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


know whether this came from his fear of future 
trouble because of what he had done, or that he 
contemplated further desperate tactics. 

Maro meanwhile was making up his mind to 
heard the tiger in his lair, and lay the ghost that 
haunted them. In other words he made it a 
point to join the skipper the very next time he 
saw him on deck, and force him into conversa- 
tion, showing him how it would he twice as prof- 
itable to come over to the side of one against 
whom he had been plotting; how Uncle Simon 
was sure to turn upon him sooner or later, and 
cast him off without reward. He found a ready 
listener, for Captain Clawson, while not suffer- 
ing very much from remorse on account of his 
evil deeds, realized that what the boy spoke was 
true, every word of it, and he eagerly grasped 
this chance to pull out of a nasty hole with a 
sound craft. ^ 

agree to all you say, lad, and if you prom- 
ise to pay me double what he said he would, 
after you get your money I mean, of course, I ’ll 
stand by ye and make old Simon squeal pretty 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 253 


lively. I owe him a pretty lot on account of past 
things, where he’s squeezed me hard. Is it a go, 
Maro?” he asked eagerly. 

The hoy despised a treacherous nature, but he 
had enough of the lawyer in him to see just how 
his case might be profited by such a turncoat. 
When thieves fall out honest men get their due, 
and he meant to call his scheming relative to 
hook when once more in the North. It was time 
the estate was put in the hands of responsible 
trustees who would manage it with an eye single 
to the benefit of the owner, and not with an idea 
of some time coming into possession themselves, 
as was the case with Uncle Simon. So peace was 
patched up between those who had eyed each 
other askance. Maro could sleep more comfort- 
ably, while as for the skipper, he need not an- 
ticipate trouble when they cast anchor in Ha- 
vana harbor. 

Nevertheless that cautious Teddy would not 
hear of his friend ‘being on deck after dark, hut 
insisted on accompanying him constantly, pa- 
trolling the scanty promenade and sitting along- 


254 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


side the Loon, where the owner might run his 
hand caressingly along the smooth side of the 
jaunty craft that held his affection, even as the 
Arab of the sandy desert loves his proud and 
faithful steed. He did not believe the leopard 
could change his spots, and hence, in his mind 
the Yankee skipper must always be associated 
with plots and schemes, so that his most innocent 
movement had a dark meaning back of it. 

Teddy frankly admitted that such a feeling 
toward a repentant sinner was far from chari- 
table, but then he declared it would have made 
considerable difference with him had the captain 
really and truly expressed sorrow for his mis- 
deeds, and a desire to turn over a new leaf. As 
it was he only changed his cards through policy, 
and in the hope of bettering himself financially, 
as well as avoiding unpleasant consequences on 
account of his underhand treatment of Maro. 

The weather interested them considerably, as 
it must all who take a sea voyage in sub-tropical 
latitudes, where sudden storms are an ever-pres- 
ent possibility, and hurricanes not unknown. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 255 


Surely they had seen enough stress of weather, 
and deserved some pleasant sailing for a change ; 
and it seemed as though Old Boreas must he of 
the same mind, wearied of persecuting these 
young voyagers, for day after day the breeze 
held favorable, now dying away to a mere 
zephyr, and then bursting out in sturdy puffs 
that brought about a sudden shortening of sail, 
lest they meet with mishap, but ever in a favor- 
ing quarter, and wafting the argosy toward the 
shores of the new Cuban republic that was fos- 
tered by the arm of Uncle Sam. 

If Captain Clawson had contemplated any 
more treachery, he lacked either the ability or 
the nerve to attempt it, for while the journey 
lasted he was suave and polite, otf ering no cause 
for suspicion ; nor was Maro at all afraid to re- 
main alone on deck, though his comrade would 
persist in hovering near at such times, ready to 
throw himself into the breach should the occa- 
sion call for such energetic action. 

When, after skirting the northern shore of 
Cuba, they finally came in sight of grim Morro 


256 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


Castle, guarding the harbor as in the days when 
the red and yellow banner of old Spain fluttered 
from the staff, our pilgrims were ready to 
breathe a sigh of relief, for they knew Maro’s 
native land now lay but a night’s sailing be- 
yond. I’ll he mighty glad to step on the old 
soil again,” said Maro, just as though he had 
been absent for years instead of weeks ; but as 
one contemplates the variety of adventures 
through which fortune had led them, it does not 
seem so surprising that they should feel this 
way, for really they had lived years since the 
time when Teddy boarded the derelict and found 
Maro fastened in his hole, a prisoner. 

It was daylight still when they sailed past the 
fort, and came in sight of the wreck of the Maine, 
that mute monument to the valor of American 
soldiers. Teddy felt as though he might be 
called as much of a Yankee as the next one, a 
cousin at the very least; and he surveyed that 
projecting mass of twisted steel with almost as 
holy emotions as his comrade, to the manor 
born. 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 257 


They did not wish to go ashore until the morn- 
ing, though Clawson was away as soon as the 
schooner tied up to a floating buoy ; possibly be- 
cause he feared lest Maro meant to cage him, 
and that all his promises were empty words ; for 
men who hold their own vows lightly are very 
apt to ascribe the same lack of honor to their 
fellows. 

No one was sorry to see him go, and he had 
given directions where a letter would always 
find him, when the time came that his evidence 
would be needed in order to scare Uncle Simon 
into relinquishing his greedy grip on the young 
fellow ^s property. 

It was something of a treat to sit on deck and 
survey that wonder city with its myriad lights, 
pondering on what strange things had happened 
there within the last few years. Long the boys 
lounged there and talked, recalling the events 
preceding the war with Spain, and during the 
time of Weyler’s rule. 

Maro wondered if his friend would ever get 
entirely over his belief that Clawson meditated 


258 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


evil against them, and imagined he would see 
Teddy circulating around many a lonely camp- 
fire in the heart of the Everglades, endeavoring 
to locate some suspicious sound, under the belief 
that it proceeded from the scheming, unscrupu- 
lous skipper of the defunct Nancy Lee, 

Of course they went ashore, for the opportu- 
nity of visiting this gay Cuban capital comes not 
every day, and may not lightly be cast aside. 
There were many things they wanted to see, and 
which they had of necessity only known through 
print. Besides, the little boat plying between 
Miami and the Cuban metropolis was late that 
day, and they would have plenty of time to ef- 
fect the transfer of the Loon in the afternoon. 
So they landed at a famous dock and proceeded 
to take in as much of the city as could be done 
during a limited stay. 

Dining at the finest hotel, Maro spent half an 
hour in writing an account of his adventures, 
which letter he forwarded to a lawyer friend in 
Boston, with instructions to do what he consid- 


MAROONED ON A SAND-KEY 259 


ered best in the premises, looking to an up- 
heaval in the spring, when the writer intended 
to make it hot for his uncle, with the idea of oust- 
ing him from his post as guardian. 

It might as well be stated right here that the 
lawyer commenced proceedings against Uncle 
Simon, with the intention of. placing him under 
the scrutiny of the court, so that, if warned 
through his villainous colleague, Clawson, he 
could not take advantage of Maro^s absence to 
turn any of the estate into money and fly the 
country. Maro eventually had him removed, 
and the court appointed as guardian one in whom 
the lad had every confidence, so that he could be 
sure of coming into his inheritance when of age. 

This all occurred in the spring, for he spent 
the balance of the winter in company with his 
friend, just as though matters of money occu- 
pied but a small share of his thoughts, which was 
just like a boy. And they did have a genuine 
picnic, to be sure, knocking about in those nu- 
merous mysterious lagoons which may be found 


260 


YOUNG CASTAWAYS 


around the river known under the name of 
Miami; and later in the season making their 
way by railroad to Lake Worth, where the cedar 
boat was again wedded to the water, and their 
cruise toward the north began. 

There was not much of the far-famed Indian 
river that this daring couple failed to explore. 
They fished and hunted and feasted on the best 
that might be found in this favored land, the 
fruits of the soil and of the sea paying toll to 
their purse, or their prowess as disciples of 
Isaak Walton and Nimrod. It paid for all the 
discomforts which they had suffered during the 
period of their marooning on that lone sand-key ; 
and yet, while there were many unpleasant 
things connected with that experience, as 
usual these would be forgotten as time wore on, 
and only the delightful happenings remem- 
bered. Indeed, even the discomforts can be 
changed into humorous episodes, affording a 
good laugh whenever the tale is retold. 

And here we may safely leave those whose 


MAEOONED ON A SAND-KEY 261 


fortunes it has been our pleasure to follow 
through these pages, confident that they possess 
the sterling qualities of manliness to carry them 
successfully through lifers struggles. 








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